Bakery Style Cinnamon Chip Muffins - Small Batch

The smell of cinnamon will waft through your house calling everyone to the kitchen as you just made Bakery Style Cinnamon Chip Muffins!

Bakery Style Cinnamon Chip Muffins - Small Batch

Is there anything more enticing than the smell of cinnamon coming from the kitchen?  This brings back all kinds of comfort feels for me.  I don't care what time of year the scent of warm cinnamon baking in something delicious will pull me in every time.  

So let's create some bakery style muffins that are filled with cinnamon chips, and if that isn't enough we are going to sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over the tops!  I use my basic muffin recipe which provides a high domed muffin that is tender on the inside.  To that we are adding cinnamon chips that you can find in your local grocery store.  If not you can find them here.  

These are the perfect Sunday breakfast item, snack during the week, or perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.  You will not be able to resist these wonderful muffins bursting with cinnamon.  It will be hard to eat just one and guaranteed to be a hit with the entire family.

What Ingredients do I need?

• eggs

• milk

• canola oil

• all purpose flour

• sugar or sugar substitute

• baking powder

• salt

• cinnamon chips

• cinnamon

Substitutions and Variations

• Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour

• Make mini muffins or small loaves instead

• Doing a Keto diet or want lower carb? Use an alternative sugar of you choice as a substitute. I like King Arthur's sugar alternative.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• 1st rule of thumb when making muffins is "do not overmix" the batter.  You want it batter to just come together.  Little spots of flour is okay.

• To get high muffin tops turn your oven up to 400 degrees.

• Make sure you are using fresh baking powder.  To test put 1/2 teaspoon into 1/4 cup of boiling water.  If it bubbles, you are good.

• Double the recipe for 12 muffins.

• Muffins can be frozen individually and kept for 3 months.

• Fill the muffin tin almost to the top for nice big domed muffins.

More Muffins Recipes

Bakery Style Strawberry Banana Chunk Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Double Berry Muffins

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Honey Nectarine Muffins

Orange Poppyseed Muffins

Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins

Simple Blueberry Muffins

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Bakery Style Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Makes 6

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cinnamon chips

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 sugar 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6 well muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

In a large bowl add the egg, milk, and oil. Mix together using a whisk.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.   Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Take 1/2 cup blueberries and smash them until chunky (not totally smashed to pulp) with the back of a spoon.  Add this to the batter and gently fold in.  Add cinnamon chips to the batter and fold in gently.  

To make the cinnamon sugar mixture combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and mix well.  

Using a cookie scoop, add batter to a muffin tin to make 6 muffins.  Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of each muffin.  Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin. Remove from the pan and serve.

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Get ready for the flavors of Italy in this 30 minute summer grilling menu.

Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Time for some grilling action.  This is so quick and easy you can easily pull this off on a weekday.  30 minutes of cooking time along with 30 minutes to marinate the chicken for full flavor and you are ready to have a meal with 2 sides dishes on the table.  

Chicken breasts are marinated with Italian dressing and some dried basil and oregano to give it a full-bodied Tuscan flavor then grilled to perfection.  Along side you will find the easiest side dishes of steamed green beans, and juicy cherry tomatoes dressed with Italian flavors.    One easy and quick meal that tastes like you spent hours perfecting the flavors.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Italian dressing

• dried Oregano

• dried Basil

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• bag of ready to steam green beans

• pint of cherry tomatoes

Substitutions and Variations

• Protein:  Use chicken thighs or pork chops 

• Tomatoes:  Use grape tomatoes, or cut up vine ripened or Campari tomatoes

• Green Beans: try grilling them in a grill basket along side the chicken, or sauteing them in a skillet.

• Vegetables: try substituting zucchini (either grilled or sauted) yellow squash, or Japanese eggplant for the green beans

• Garnish:  Top with chopped fresh herbs such as oregano or basil

• Marinade: used rosemary instead of the basil and oregano in the marinade. 

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Side Dish:  Serve with some crusty bread.

• Create a salad:  Instead of placing the tomatoes on the green beans you can toss them with some chopped romaine lettuce and a little dressing for a simple salad.

• Leftovers can be combined with lettuce for a main dish salad.

• Use an indoor grill pan instead of an outdoor grill.  This will even cut down on time!

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Grilled Tuscan Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes

serves 4

3/4 cup Italian dressing, divided
1 1/2 Tablespoon dried Oregano
1 1/2 Tablespoon dried Basil
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 12oz. bag ready to steam green beans
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat grill to medium high heat.  Combine 1/2 cup of dressing along with the oregano and basil in a container or sealed bag.  Add pepper to taste to the marinade.  Remove 1/4 cup to a bowl to use for basting.  Add chicken to the marinade tossing to coat.  Allow to marinate 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from the marinade and discard used marinade.  Grill chicken 10 minutes turning once or until chicken reaches 160 degrees basting with reserved 1/4 cup of marinade.  Remove chicken and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile cook green beans according to package directions.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a bowl toss tomatoes with 1/4 cup of Italian dressing.  

To serve, place chicken breasts on a platter and surround them with steamed green beans topped with dressed tomatoes.  

Easy Greek Pasta Salad

My Easy Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and yummy pasta, all doused with a wonderful Greek vinaigrette.  The perfect summer side salad!

Easy Greek Pasta Salad

Summer is made for pasta salads.  They are great for backyard BBQ, picnics, potlucks, concerts in the park, you name it!  I love a good pasta salad, but I really enjoy that they are soooo easy to make.  Today I'm feeling Greek flavors.  Greek salad is a favorite so it is just natural to add those flavors to some pasta.  

This dish comes together in about 30 minutes and is easy to throw together.  Twirls of pasta is mixed with cool cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, and tangy feta.  Top this with a quick Greek vinaigrette and you have one heck of a tasty dish!  The result is a fresh, light, pasta salad that is full of flavor.  This will easily feed six and this basic recipe can be enhanced as you wish.  I'll leave some suggestions below.  

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• rotini pasta

• English cucumber

• Roma tomatoes

• feta cheese

• medium red onion

• red bell pepper

• parsley

• olive oil

• red wine vinegar

• lemon

• dried oregano

Substitutions and Variations

• Olives: Add green or black olives

• Beans:  Add garbanzo beans or gigante beans

• Tomatoes:  ripe and fresh are best.  Use what is in season. Cherry or grape tomatoes are always a good choice.

• Pasta: Use your favorite shape, even spaghetti will work

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Cook your pasta first:  you will want the pasta to cool down before adding it to the other ingredients and this will take a little time.

• Rinse your pasta after cooking?  There are 2 schools of thought on this.  One side says to rinse to stop the cooking process which helps keep the pasta al dente. Also it reduces the temperature of the pasta quickly, plus it removes some of the starch.  The other side says that pasta that is not rinsed will hold the sauce better.  I've done it both ways.  I will say rinsing is faster and since you are using an oil based dressing the ingredients get coated just as well.

• Tools:  I use this handy veggie chopper when I have to chop a gang of veggies.  It is so helpful and I love that the container catches and holds all the product.  Great for salads!

• I also have a set of melamine mixing bowls that I use ALL THE TIME!  The best part is you can mix in it then pop of the lid to store it in the frig, AND serve from it.  They are beautiful and practical.  Check them out.

More Pasta Salads to enjoy:

Avocado and Peach Spiral Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Spinach Orzo Salad with Chickpeas

Summer Bounty Vegetable Pasta Salad

The BEST Broccoli Pasta Salad

Fresh Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

Springtime Pasta Salad

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Easy Greek Pasta Salad

serves 6

1/2 pound rotini pasta
1 English cucumber, small dice
3 Roma tomatoes, small dice
1/3 - 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 medium red onion, small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil on the stove.  Add the pasta and cook according to the package direction until al dente.  Drain the pasta in a colander and allow to cool.  

In a large mixing bowl add all the vegetables, the cooled pasta, and the crumbled feta cheese.

In a small bowl or jar whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice oregano and salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat all the ingredients.  Salad may be served immediately but I suggest chilling the salad for 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend together.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

Fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon are combined for a zesty topper on tender grilled steaks and accompanied by luscious roasted sweet potato bites.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

It's Grilling season and that's a great way to make a meal in under 30 minutes! Today we're cooking up a meat and potatoes meal Gaucho style by making a wonderful grilled flank steak topped with a tangy Chimichurri sauce along with roasted sweet potatoes. Flank steak is a long, flat cut with a significant grain running through it, and is known for its bold flavor. It is a lean cut of meat and is tender when you cut it across the grain.  One of the best benefits of a flank stead is its size.  It will feed a crowd easily.  A very versatile cut of beef that can be cooked as a steak, or cut and used in tacos, fajitas, steak salad, or sandwiches.  It's flavor is really unmatched!

Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is used as a condiment for grilled meat. It's filled with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and a bit of heat. This vibrant green sauce is the perfect partner to the grilled flank steak. You don't want to skip this sauce as it makes the dish! Throw in a side dish of nutritious roasted sweet potatoes and you have one heck of a dinner! This dinner will be on the table in 30 minutes. Great for the weekend or a weeknight, and clean up is a breeze. But, the best part is the flavors. This combination is heavenly!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• fresh Italian parsley

• fresh cilantro - If you don't care for cilantro use more parsley

• olive oil

• yellow onion or shallot

• garlic

• fresh lemon

• red pepper flakes

• flank steak

• sweet potato

Substitutions and Variations

• Sauce: Chimichurri sauce can be made with only parsley.  Add more or less red pepper flakes to adjust the heat level.

• Choice of beef:  try your favorite steak instead of the flank steak.  It's great on New York steaks, Rib Eye or Sirloin.  

• Choice of protein:  Chimichurri sauce can be used on any grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish.

• Sweet Potatoes:  Make fries instead of cubes, or bake the sweet potatoes.  

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Use a food processor to make the sauce easily and quickly.

• Chimichurri sauce will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

• Slicing the steak:  Flank steak is a tough cut of meat and to make it tender you must slice the meat across the grain.  So usually the grain runs along the longest length of the meat.  So you would place that horizontally and cut vertically through those grains in to slices.

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Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Sweet Potatoes

serves 4-6

1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 - 2 lb flank steak
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into small bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Prepare gas grill or charcoal for medium-high direct heat cooking.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, add parsley, cilantro, oil, onion, garlic, zest, and lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes.  Pulse until finely chopped.  Place in a small serving dish.  

Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper and place on the baking sheet.  Spread out in a single layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until tender and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven.

Sprinkle flank steak with salt & pepper to taste.  Grill about 6 min per side for medium or adjust time for desired doneness.  Remove to a cutting board and allow to stand 5 minutes.  Slice steak against the grain and serve with sauce.  Serve with sweet potatoes on the side.