Breakfast / Brunch Archives | Flour Arrangements

Easy Orange-Almond Muffins

April 1, 2018 by Suzanne Cowden 2 Comments

Add some sunshine to your day with these bright and flavorful Orange-Almond Muffins. With plenty of fresh orange zest and juice, as well as crunchy, nutty sliced almonds, this simple recipe comes together quickly and easily without skimping on taste.

Until my daughter and her friend decided they wanted to make some Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes, I didn’t bake much with oranges. I love sinking my teeth into sweet, juicy orange wedges, and I never saw any reason to move beyond my enjoyment of this simple, succulent snack.

But those cupcakes, made with fresh orange zest and juice, taste like summer sunshine. They cured me of my irrational need to save oranges for fresh eating.

Since you can’t always have dessert for breakfast, I needed an orange muffin recipe that would taste just as fresh and delicious as those Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. These orange muffins — chock full of sliced almonds — fit the bill….

Easy Lemon-Lime Pancakes

January 14, 2018 by Suzanne Cowden Leave a Comment

Add some zing to your breakfast routine with these bright and flavorful lemon-lime pancakes. While this simple recipe comes together quickly, it makes breakfast feel like a special occasion.

On the weekends, my daughter Tessa loves to make pancakes for breakfast. I’m usually still trying to sleep when she starts talking about recipes with my husband, but somehow, once they start chatting, my ears perk up and I can’t help but join them in the kitchen.

Our lemon tree is full of ripe fruit right now, so I loved hearing her mention lemon pancakes the other day. Since we had a bunch of limes in our fruit bowl, too, I suggested that she try making lemon-lime pancakes to blend these two tart citrus flavors together….

Quick and Easy Single Serving Breakfast Crisp

November 26, 2017 by Suzanne Cowden 4 Comments

Start your day right with a quick and easy single serving breakfast crisp. Top your favorite fruit with a quick mix oat-cinnamon streusel topping and enjoy warm, delicious crisp in less than 10 minutes!

Last week Eliza asked if she could have some leftover berry crisp for breakfast. Since it’s packed with fruit and topped with oats, we didn’t have any objections.

She ate more breakfast that day than she does on a regular basis, which prompted my husband to suggest that we just start making crisp to eat every morning….

Maple-Oat Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping and Maple-Cinnamon Mascarpone

October 22, 2017 by Suzanne Cowden Leave a Comment

Packed with diced apple, sweetened with maple syrup, and spiced with cinnamon, these maple-oat apple muffins get extra sweetness and texture from a lightly spiced streusel topping. Oven warm and slathered with maple-cinnamon mascarpone, they’re a perfect fall treat.

When my husband shared that Friday Harbor Labs was planning its annual Apple Raid this week, I wondered if we could somehow get there in time to participate.

The opportunity to spend a day picking apples on an idyllic island in the Pacific Northwest seemed too perfect to pass up.

Then I remembered the flight, drive, and ferry trip required to get there. Unless you own a plane, there’s really no such thing as a quick trip to Friday Harbor, WA. With school and work, not to mention all the kids’ activities that consume our free time these days, pulling off a spontaneous trip to the San Juan Islands is about as likely as winning the lottery….

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

September 10, 2017 by Suzanne Cowden Leave a Comment

Nutty goodness and rich chocolate make a perfect match in these peanut butter chocolate chip muffins. This quick, simple recipe produces a satisfying, protein-packed snack or breakfast treat.

I‘m hard pressed to find a better partner for peanut butter than chocolate. Sure, peanut butter and jelly taste great together, but it’s chocolate that really brings out the best of peanut butter’s rich, nutty goodness.

When I was growing up, I’d often press chocolate chips into a heaping spoonful of peanut butter for a quick, easy snack. While I’m still fond of dipping a spoon in the peanut butter jar and studding it with chocolate, it felt like time to take my casual peanut butter and chocolate snack to the next level with some peanut butter chocolate chip muffins….

Maple-Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

July 2, 2017 by Suzanne Cowden Leave a Comment

Sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cinnamon, these oatmeal pancakes will start your day with a substantial, whole grain take on pancakes.

I‘m not usually the breakfast-maker in our house. I like to sleep in too much.

On weekdays, my husband makes a pot of oatmeal for breakfast, and on the weekends, the kids usually make pancakes or waffles with him.

While I did my best to sleep in a few weekends ago, I overheard my younger daughter Tessa discussing oatmeal pancake recipes with my husband as they looked for one to try.

I almost thought I was dreaming, but when I finally dragged myself downstairs, they really were making oatmeal pancakes….

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

May 7, 2017 by Suzanne Cowden 2 Comments

With cocoa powder for bittersweet chocolate flavor and juicy raspberries for tart sweetness, these Chocolate Raspberry Muffins are a perfect breakfast or snack food. Stir semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter for extra richness.

If you believe chocolate is a food group all its own, you’re my kind of human being. If not, we can still be friends, but I probably won’t always understand you.

I love chocolate in all its versatility. It’s just as delicious in the form of chocolate cake as chocolate cream pie. Chocolate cookies? Of course. Chocolate brownies? Um, yeah.

You can savor it as chocolate mousse, hot cocoa, chocolate frosting, or even straight up as a candy bar.

Let’s not forget hot fudge or chocolate ice cream.

I bake frequently with chocolate, but I’ve come to realize that I mostly prepare chocolate desserts.

Consider these chocolate raspberry muffins my penance for overlooking its importance as a snack food. They’re dark and chocolaty, full of tart, tangy raspberries, and (why not?) semi-sweet chocolate chips….

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

October 12, 2016 by Suzanne Cowden 6 Comments

With just a hint of spice, these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins deliver sweet banana bread goodness combined with rich chocolate decadence.

Overripe bananas have brought me back from my long absence here at Flour Arrangements. I spent the summer outside with my daughters — at the beach, biking around town, or swimming at the pool.

When we did venture inside to bake, my kids wanted to make tried and tested recipes like chocolate chip cookies, corn bread muffins, or simple vanilla cookies. They’re eager to bake, and I’m trying to encourage it, which means not pushing my experimental projects — like these banana chocolate chip muffins — on them.

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