Streusel Muffins

Memorial day has come and gone and we sure had a fun weekend. It also meant we had a few house guests. And as it goes, when you are hosting, you always try to make sure everyone is as comfortable as can be. It also means providing breakfast for guests that spend the night.

Sometimes I will just set out bowls of yogurt, fruit, and granola, and let everyone fix their own yogurt parfaits. Other times I make a breakfast casserole the day prior that only needs to be warmed up that morning. This time however, I decided on Muffins. I don't know a lot of people that will turn down fresh muffins with a nice cup of coffee or a glass of milk. 

When I was searching for a dish to make I was trying to decide between a few different recipes, but I couldn't resist the picture that accompanied these Streusel muffins in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, plus, I had all the ingredients on hand. I know I sound like a broken record by now, but again, there has not been one disappointing recipe in this book so far.

The muffins have a simple sour cream vanilla flavor that gets enhanced by adding a generous amount of cinnamon streusel on top. Think coffee cake meets muffin. The dough is made quickly, as is the streusel topping. Adding the streusel though without making a mess, is a bit of a challenge. Once baked, you make a simple confectioner's sugar and milk frosting, which then gets drizzled over the top to complete the muffin.

These muffins were the perfect wake up call, and our guests left the breakfast table happy and satisfied. I hope you'll give these muffins a try, I'm sure you will enjoy them for a breakfast or brunch treat as well!

Streusel Muffins

~makes 24~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Milk Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla by hand. Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Sprinkle half the streusel topping over muffins, gently pressing it into the batter. Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing muffins.

To finish, place muffins on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; drizzle evenly with milk glaze. Glazed muffins can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Streusel Topping

(makes enough for 24 muffins)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

2 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or two table knives until combined but still crumbly.

Milk Glaze

(makes enough for 24 muffins)

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together ingredients  until smooth. Use immediately.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes 

Tortilla Egg Cups

Breakfast can sometimes be a challenge especially if you have kids. A lot of times my children are fine with a bowl of cereal but every once in a while they crave something savory. Short of fixing a traditional big breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausage I decided one day to come up with something a little bit smaller and portable but still full of the traditional breakfast flavors.

Looking through my fridge and freezer I found breakfast sausage, onions, peppers, eggs and tortillas. Born was the idea of the tortilla egg cups. I figured why not make a breakfast which contained everything in a small little cup. The egg cups take about 45 minutes start to finish but you could certainly make your meat mixture the night prior, refrigerate it and then only fill the cups the day off which will certainly cut prep and cooking time to about 30 minutes.

These tortilla egg cups are a big hit at our house with plenty of variations possible since you can use any kind of breakfast sausage, any kind of vegetable like mushrooms or even broccoli and any cheese you like. They are perfect for a weekend breakfast and are a great addition to any brunch. Try them for Easter and impress your family and friends with this easy but fantastic dish.

Tortilla Egg Cups

~makes 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

6 Ramekins

1/2 pound (8 ounces) bulk breakfast sausage, any flavor

1/4 medium onion, diced

1/2 medium red pepper, diced

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup cheese, shredded

6 large eggs

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush inside of 6 ramekins with melted butter. Place on a baking sheet and fit a tortilla in each of the forms (you will have to fold them slightly to make them fit). Set aside.

Brown sausage in a pan until cooked, add the onions, cook for another minute and then add the bell pepper. Taste for seasoning. Set mixture aside to cool a little bit. (This mixture can be made the night before if desired and then refrigerated).

Take your prepared ramekins and divide filling into the six cups (about 1/3 cup each). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on top of the meat mixture. Crack one egg into each of the tortilla cups. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chives.

Brush exposed tortilla with more of the melted butter and place in pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately.