Saturday, October 5, 2019

Lemon Zucchini Muffins #WeightWatcher Style #Recipe @PegCochran

Are you still with me on my WW journey? So far I've lost 20 pounds. I'm aiming for five more. It hasn't been quick, but then I didn't gain it overnight either. I gained it sitting in front of a computer and not paying attention to what I was eating. But I learned to go back to the way I always used to eat when I never had a weight problem--following a splurge with several light meals, measuring fats so I didn't go overboard, filling up on lean protein, veggies, fruit and legumes. It's honestly been easier than I thought especially since I still work in my weekly wine! Knowing how to cook has definitely made the journey easier...and tastier!

Someone posted this recipe on a WW FB site and I'm afraid I didn't note the name but I give her a shoutout for a great recipe that apparently comes in as 1 point per muffin (in case you're also on the plan!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/2 cup white granulated sugar substitute
1 cup shredded zucchini, unpeeled (1 medium zucchini)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
1 egg
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest ( zest from large lemon)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Or, use cupcake wrappers--I sprayed those also for easy removal.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir.

In a separate bowl combine unsweetened applesauce sauce, sugar substitute, water, zucchini, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir.

Slowly add wet ingredients to dry and fill muffin cups evenly.

Do not over mix!

Bake 18 to 20 minutes.

Amazon Reviewer: "Peg Cochran creates engaging characters and a wonderful sense of time and place. The mystery is well plotted and full of twists. There’s a little bit of humor, a splash of romance, and great historical details."

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

An intrepid 1930s Manhattan socialite uncovers deadly secrets during an assignment to the Hamptons in this riveting historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Westhampton, 1938. To the dismay of her well-to-do family, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is quickly establishing herself as a seasoned photographer over at the Daily Trumpet. Growing more confident in her decision to pursue a career, Elizabeth is thrilled when she and her reporter sidekick, Ralph Kaminsky, are sent to Long Island to cover the story of a young maid found dead in one of the glamourous summer homes in the devastating aftermath of the Great New England Hurricane—also known as the Long Island Express.

At first it’s assumed that the young woman was caught in the terrible storm, but when a suspicious wound is found on the side of her head, the police suspect murder. The maid’s death becomes even more tragic when it’s discovered she was pregnant, and with Elizabeth and Kaminsky at the scene of the crime, the Daily Trumpet scoops all the other papers in town.

The young woman’s boyfriend emerges as the likeliest suspect. But as Elizabeth follows the story, she begins to wonder whether someone in the household of the maid’s employers might be responsible—someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth about the baby’s paternity hidden.

COMING DECEMBER 3

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How to make Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins from Scratch or Pancake Mix by Cleo Coyle

These delicious muffins deliver the taste of a pancake breakfast in one bite: maple syrup, bacon, and fluffy buttermilk flapjacks. I'll show you how to make them two ways: (1) from scratch or (2) with a pancake mix.

Cleo Coyle’s

Maple Bacon Pancake Muffins

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

To create this treat, I started with my own favorite maple muffin recipe and swapped regular milk for buttermilk to mimic the richness of old-fashioned buttermilk pancake batter.

Next I folded in caramelized bacon bits, made from a recipe that I first shared in my 9th Coffeehouse Mystery, Roast Mortem, a tribute to firefighters (with firehouse recipes).

Finally, before baking these muffins, I topped them with a sprinkling of more candied bacon bits and a light drizzle of maple syrup.

The muffin itself is a bonus recipe from A Brew to a Kill, which takes readers on a culinary odyssey through New York City after a food truck war between a “Kupcake Kween” and a coffeehouse manager turns deadly. My husband (and partner in crime writing) flipped for these muffins.

May you eat them with joy!

~ Cleo

☕

To download a PDF version

of this recipe that you can

print, save, or share, click here.

Cleo's Maple Bacon

Pancake Muffins

From Scratch Version...

Makes 6 regular-size muffins (or 12 mini muffins)

Ingredients:

For the bacon:
Caramelized bacon bits will consist of…
6 slices of bacon, smoked or maple
+ 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar

For the batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt (if using table salt, use only a pinch)
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup + 1½ teaspoons pure maple syrup (not “pancake syrup," see note)*
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use light)

*Note: “Pancake syrup” is not maple syrup. It consists of corn syrup flavored with maple extract. If you use pancake syrup instead of pure maple syrup in this recipe, be warned that your muffins will be dry. Use pure maple syrup for best results.

Directions:

Step 1 – Make caramelized bacon bits: First preheat oven to 375° F. Muffins need a very hot oven to rise properly, so give the oven a good 20 minutes of pre-heating. Meanwhile, cut 6 slices of bacon into small pieces. (Tip: I use kitchen shears.)

Sauté over medium-high heat until half-cooked—still soft and flexible with fat just beginning to change color. Drain fat. Add your 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar. (This measure is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons; you want 1 teaspoon of brown sugar for each slice of bacon.)

Stir and continue stirring over heat until bacon bits are cooked through but still flexible (do not cook until crisp and brittle). Transfer bacon bits to a plate, break up any clumps into a single layer. Set aside to cool.

Step 2 – One bowl mixing method: Combine flour, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well blended. Make a well in the center. Add fork-beaten egg, measure in canola oil, buttermilk, and 1/3 cup of the maple syrup (you will use the final 1½ teaspoons from the ingredient list later). Whisk the batter until well blended, but do not over-mix or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your muffins will be tough instead of tender. The batter will be loose. Fold in the bacon bits, reserving enough to sprinkle over the muffin tops before baking in the next step.

Step 3 – Sprinkle and Drizzle: Coat 6 muffin cups and top of muffin pan with non-stick spray. If using paper liners, coat the papers as well as the top of the pan. Divide batter among the 6 sprayed or lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the reserved caramelized bacon bits over the top of each cup’s batter and drizzle a small amount (¼ teaspoon, no more) of maple syrup on top of the bacon bits and batter.

Step 4 – Bake: If baking standard muffins, check them in 15 minutes for doneness. If baking mini-muffins check them in 8 minutes. Muffins may need a few more minutes than stated, depending on your oven. They’re done when a toothpick inserted comes out with no wet batter clinging to it.

NOTE: The maple syrup drizzle will cause the muffin tops to stick a bit to the pan. Simply use a butter knife to gently free it before removing muffins from cups. FYI - I use the toothpick method to remove baked muffins from their pans. Stick two toothpicks into the muffin from opposite ends and gently lift.

"Pancake Mix" Version

For fun, I included this “pancake mix” option for making the batter in this recipe. The difference between the scratch recipe and this one is mainly texture. The scratch version has a more cake-like crumb while the texture of the pancake mix version is more like a cornmeal muffin, but it’s very good too, and worth a try if you’re curious—and have some pancake mix handy in your pantry! ~ Cleo

Makes 6 regular-size muffins (or 12 mini muffins)

Ingredients:

For bacon:
Caramelized bacon bits consisting of…
6 slices of bacon, smoked or maple
+ 6 teaspoons of light brown sugar

For batter:
1-½ cup dry buttermilk flavor pancake mix (What brand? See my note below.)
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (and not “pancake syrup”)
½ cup whole milk (1% or 2% will work; but do not use skim milk)

*Note on pancake mix: Do not use Bisquick. Do not use a “just add water” mix. Use a mix that requires the addition of milk, eggs, and oil or melted butter. (I use Aunt Jemima Buttermilk flavor.) No matter what brand you choose, a buttermilk flavored mix will give you the best results.

Directions: Follow the directions in the previous recipe with this exception. In Step 2, use this batter instead: Whisk together the pancake mix, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, baking powder, fork-beaten egg, oil, maple syrup, and milk until well blended. Do not over-mix. Fold in the caramelized bacon bits, reserving enough to decorate each muffin top before baking. The batter will be loose. (Now move to Step 3 in the "from scratch" recipe.)

☕

Eat (and read) with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice).

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