Spiced muffins with crunchy topping headed for the Easter breakfast table

With a name that contains the word gingerbread, this recipe seems as though it would be relegated to Christmas. But I know what muffins will be on my Easter-morning breakfast table! These Gingerbread Muffins with Spiced-Nut Streusel are wonderful treats that are seasonless. Addition of the applesauce (and I stirred in some shredded apples as well) contribute to the moistness of this melt-in-your-mouth goodie.

The recipe appeared in a magazine article that featured lightened-up versions of old faves. The recipe says that it calls for half the standard amount of sugar and butter and that the applesauce and coffee add moisture without the extra calories. Instead of 1/2 cup applesauce I finely chopped one small apple and put it in a 1/2-cup measure; then I finished filling the cup with the remaining applesauce. Loved the random bits of shredded apple as I bit into my muffin.

These muffins freeze extremely well. The streusel topping is the crowning touch. Hubby was all a-twitter about these. I had to quickly get my plasticware tub filled with the to-keep muffins wrapped and stored in the freezer before he inhaled them all.

Gingerbread Muffins with Spiced-Nut Streusel

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

1 cup hot brewed coffee

1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

12 paper baking cups

vegetable cooking spray

Spiced-Nut Streusel

Spiced-Nut Streusel:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare Spiced-Nut Streusel by stirring together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl; stir in pecans and melted butter until mixture is crumbly. For muffins process flour and next 5 ingredients in a food processor until ginger is finely ground (about 1 minute). In a large bowl beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until the mixture is creamy. Gradually add sugars; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in applesauce until all is blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Combine hot brewed coffee and molasses in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with coffee mixture. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Place 12 paper baking cups in a 12-cup muffin pan. Coat cups with cooking spray. Spoon batter into cups. Fill almost full. Sprinkle tops with with Spiced-Nut Streusel. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center emerges clean. Remove muffins from pan to wire rack and cool 10 minutes; serve warm. Makes 1 dozen. (Source: Southern Living January 2013)

With a name that contains the word gingerbread, this recipe seems as though it would be relegated to Christmas. But I know what muffins will be on my Easter-morning breakfast table! These are wonderful treats that are seasonless. Addition of the applesauce (and I added some shredded apples as well) contribute to the moistness of this melt-in-your-mouth goodie.

Chunky applesauce muffins jump-start a morning

These were billed as fix-and-freeze muffins, which I’m all for, but they’re also divine served ready-warm from the oven. They can make the mornings of a weekend very special, as they did ours recently.

Chunky applesauce from the grocery counter (or homemade, if you are of a mind to do so) provides the sweetening for this easy-to-stir-up muffin (all-purpose baking mix helps).

The Cinnamon-Streusel Topping is crumbly and toothsome as you savor it to dive in to the muffin itself. I can envision preparing these ahead for holiday breakfasts or for road trips when you need something quick to get you launched on your travels but want to avoid the drive-throughs.

Applesauce Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

4 cups all-purpose baking mix (I used Bisquick reduced-fat mix)

1/2 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2/3 cup chunky applesauce

1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)

Cinnamon Streusel Topping (see below)

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar (I used sugar substitute)

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose baking mix

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

For topping whisk together first 4 ingredients until blended. Stir melted butter into sugar mixture until well blended and crumbly.

* * * * * * * *

For muffins preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together baking mix, sugar, and cinnamon; make a well in center of mixture. In a small bowl whisk together applesauce and next three ingredients; add to sugar mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan. Fill almost completely full. Sprinkle Cinnamon Streusel Topping over batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and tops are golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack. (Recipe courtesy Southern Living January 2012).

Christmas-morning breakfast to get boost from these Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Apple Muffins

We have some big kids who like to be little kids on Christmas morning.

Even though they now have a munchkin of their own, our grown daughter and her husband haven't outgrown the desire to see whether Santa has left something in their stockings as well.

So they're loading up Baby and baby equipment and traveling across town to spend Christmas Eve at our place on the slight chance that Baby isn't the only one Santa remembers on Christmas morning.

Now that special treat calls for a special breakfast, so I've been baking and freezing breakfast dishes to pop out and reheat so we can have some delectable Christmas-morning goodies.

One of those menu items is Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Apple Muffins. With cholesterol-lowering oatmeal plus healthy apples plus chocolate chips, these muffins had nothing not to like about them. Although I used applesauce from a jar of the unsweetened variety, a cook could just as easily puree some fresh (peeled and cored) apples in a food processor and sub that in for the applesauce, which makes the mixture plenty moist.

Along with a hash-brown breakfast casserole, sausage balls, Cherry Cream-Cheese Almond Muffins, and some cut-up fresh fruit, I'm armed and ready for Christmas morning. Hopefully Santa will do his part as well, so our little family's cross-town trip to the parents' house reaps all kinds of benefits!

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Apple Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar packed (if using brown-sugar substitute, use 3/8 cup)

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

3/4 cup applesauce (or apples peeled, cored, and pureed in a food processor to make 3/4 cup)

1 cup oats

1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips

Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.