lindy, Author at Garden Seeds and Honey Bees

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

*1 cup Granulated Sugar

*1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Zest

*2 Eggs, room temperature

*1/2 cup Milk

*2 teaspoons Vanilla

*2 cups All-purpose Flour

*3 teaspoons Baking Soda

*1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

*2 cups Blueberries, fresh or frozen, no thawing needed

Cream together the sugar, butter and add eggs stirring in a medium bowl. Then mix in milk and vanilla until combined.

Whisk together the dry ingredients; Flour, baking powder, sea salt and slowly mix into the wet mixture until combined sticky mixture.

Fold in blue berries, scoop or spoon fill muffin lined muffin pans, making at least 12 muffins.

Bake muffins in pare heated oven at 375*F. for 20 minutes or until muffins start to turn slight golden brown color.

Serve plain or with lemon zest cream cheese frosting or a butter cream frosting and pipe or spread frosting on muffin with a offset spatula and add 3 blueberries on top if desired.

Muffin Recipe adapted from Live Craft Eat

Buttercream Frosting

*1 cup Butter

*1/2 cup Shortening, 4 ounces

*1 pound Confectioners’ Sugar, more if needed

*1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Zest

*3 teaspoons Meringue Powder mixed in 1/3 cup Water

*1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

*2 teaspoon Vanilla

Cream all the above ingredients together. Then blend in mixer on medium speed. Then on high speed, beat until light and fluffy.

Optional: For a softer Buttercream Frosting add 1 tablespoons of Water. We wanted a little bit stiffer frosting so we left it out. If you want to do any piping on the cake, refrigerate the frosting before piping it onto the cake.

See Your Cup of Cake for a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy

I’ve seen so many whopper cookie recipes but I didn’t want the whoppers to be chopped up into or on top of the cookie, so I decided to add whoppers after baking. Whoppers were my dad’s favorite candy treat and I hope you will enjoy these malt chocolate chip cookies too!

Malt Chocolate Chip Cookies

*1/2 cup Butter Flavored Shortening
*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature
*1/2 cup White Sugar
*1 cup Brown Sugar
*3 Eggs, room temperature
*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
*2 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour, plus 3 tablespoons (Humidity in the air can make dough sticky adjust as needed.)
*1/4 cup Malt Powder, like Carnations
*2 teaspoons Corn Starch
*1 teaspoon Baking Soda

*1 teaspoon Baking Powder
*1 teaspoon Salt
*1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips (my favorite) or Dark Chocolate Chips or Milk Chocolate Chips, Guittard

Note: I like to hand mix this recipe with wooden spoon in a medium glass bowl.

1. Cream together in a bowl; Shortening, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
2. Add eggs one at a time ,stirring until ingredients are combined.
3. Whisk together in a separate bowl the dry ingredients.

4. Add a cup at a time of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Add more flour if needed, cookie dough should be slightly sticky. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight for best results.
5. Using a cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons per cookie dough ball), scoop 12 scoop balls onto 1/2 Silpat covered baking sheet, or cooking sprayed or parchment paper would work as well. Do not press done cookie dough balls. (Top with 3 chocolate chips on each cookie dough ball for placing and securing malt balls after baking.) keep dough cold between each batch until ready to bake.
6. In a pre-heated oven on 350*F. bake the cookies about 8-10 minutes or when the edges barely begin to turn a light golden color, being careful not to over bake. (Use cooled baking sheet for each batch of cookies.)

Tip: For best results on baking any cooked or baked goods in the oven, make sure your oven is baking at the correct temperature. Use an oven thermometer to test your ovens temperature and adjust your oven temperature as needed according to oven thermometers reading.