Holiday Treat: Yogurt Pecan Streusel Muffins

Yum

It's holiday baking time and I've got a treat for you today!

Each year for Christmas breakfast I make a special treat that's a holiday tradition.  But what do you make the day after Christmas?  Everyone is tired but you still want that holiday feel to your meal.  Never fear, turn to my latest holiday treat:

YOGURT PECAN STREUSEL MUFFINS

These holiday inspired muffins will fill your house with holiday scents of cinnamon!  They are moist and sinfully delicious inside and topped with a decadent pecan cinnamon brown sugar streusel.  These muffins are to die for!

This is a small batch of 6 muffins.   Just easy enough to whip up for a holiday breakfast treat.  One the kids and the whole family will devour in no time!  The muffins whip up in one bowl so clean up is easy.  Plus, they have the addition of Greek Yogurt for a healthier treat plus a kick of protein. 

These are defiantly something you will want to make right away.  You can double the recipe for a batch of 12 with no problems.  You may want to because these babies will be gone in no time!

Enjoy!








Yogurt Pecan Streusel Muffins


yield: 6 muffins



Streusel topping:
1/3 cups pecans, finely chopped
1/6 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

Muffins:

2 tablespoons canola oil  

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (such as Fage)

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 large egg 

1/3 cup sugar
1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 6 well muffin tin with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine streusel ingredients and mix together into large crumbs. 

In a large bowl add oil, vanilla, yogurt, and the egg.  Whisk until well combined.  Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Mix until just combined.  Do not overmix.

Scoop into a prepared muffin tin.  Top with streusel topping.  Bake for 17-19 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan to a cooling rack.  Serve.



adapted from: My Recipes

Pecan Sandies

I wanted to share with you one of my mom's favorite cookies. 

One of them, mind you, cause she is a cookie monster!  She loves snacking on cookies...always has them in the house...but this one is a favorite.  Pecan Sandies!

She loves pecans.  Pecans, pecans, pecans.  Pecan pie, pecan bars, and pecan sandies!!  My uncle in Texas had a pecan tree and he would send us fresh pecans every year...heaven!  So mom knows pecans.  (In fact, she still sends me store bought pecans LOL!)

These cookies satisfy that certain craving she gets for something sweet.

So here's a tribute to one mom's favorite cookies.  Bake some and share them with your family and friends.  They will LOVE you!

These are simple to make...as there is only 6 ingredients.  Here we go.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add your vanilla and salt.  Mix well.  Use good vanilla, it will make a difference in the taste of your cookie!

With the mixer going, slowly add the flour.  Mix until well combined.

  

Fold in chopped pecans.  Ruff chop is good.

Dough will appear crumbly.  Pull it together with your hands.

Mike dough balls of 1 1/2" round and place them on a cookies sheet about 2" apart.

Flatten the balls slightly.

Bake about 13 min.  Watch them closely!  They will burn...trust me!

Super duper easy....super duper tasty!!! YUMM!

Pecan Sandies

Ingredients

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 c golden brown sugar

1 3/4 t vanilla extract

1/4 t salt

1 c all purpose flour

1 c pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and salt. Mix well.  With mixer on low, gradually add flour, beating just until combined. Fold in pecans.

Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and place on two baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten each ball.

Bake until cookies are golden brown, 13 - 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and cool.

Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins

I love muffins....can you tell?


Growing up we always made muffins on the weekend.  Our basic recipe has always been an excellent standard sweeter muffin.  These days I like to experiment with that basic recipe and change it up a bit for new combinations.


Here's one I hope you will enjoy, Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins.


Sounds good huh?


So this is a variation on the my basic muffin recipe.  I just swapped out some ingredients and add some dried fruit.  Simple.


Here we go.


You will need the following for the basic recipe:  1 egg, buttermilk, canola oil, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt .  For this variation we will add: cherries, swap out some all purpose flour for whole wheat flour, and we swapped the milk for buttermilk.

In a large bowl beat 1 egg.  Add buttermilk and oil and mix well.  Add both types of flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Mix until moistened.  Don't over mix or you will get tough muffins!  Fold in the dried cherries.

Now spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.  Spread the batter amongst 6 muffin tins almost all the way full.  That's how I like em!

Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes (watch these, they get brown quickly).

See how pretty!!!

Good tasting and pretty good for you too!

Brown Sugar Cherry Muffins

Serves 6

Cook time 20-25 min

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup Canola Oil

¾ cups all purpose flour

¾ cups whole wheat flour

1/2 Cup brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

½ cup dried cherries

Directions:

Place egg, buttermilk, and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light.  Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Stir until moist.  Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick.

Fold in dried cherries.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.  Divide batter amongst 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 -20 min.

Enjoy!