Fresh Apple Raisin Muffins

Make your Mom some Yummy Muffins for Mother’s Day!

Fresh Apple Raisin Muffins

**Brown Cupcake Cups, optional

**Muffin pans

Makes 18 to 21 Muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

*4 cups Macintosh Apples peeled and diced or baking apple of your choice
*1 cup of Sugar
*2 large Eggs or 3 medium
*1/2 cup of Vegetable Oil or Extra Light Olive Oil
*2 teaspoons Vanilla
*2 cups All-Purpose Flour
*2 teaspoons Baking Soda
*2 teaspoons Cinnamon
*1 teaspoon Salt
*1 cup Raisins
*1 cup chopped nuts, pecans etc… (Optional)

Note: These need to be made the night before baking.

Mix in a bowl all the muffin ingredients until combined. Then scoop mixture into in a gallon Ziploc bag and remove as much air as possible from the bag. Lay the bag flat in the fridge overnight. The mixture might be on the dry side but the moisture will pull out of the apples overnight. If it seems to dry in the morning add another egg.

In the morning using greased or Pam sprayed muffin tins. (You can use cupcake cups but they look more like a muffin if the batter is put directly in the muffin tin.)

Fill each muffin cup with 3/4 full of batter. Bake muffins at 350* F. for 25 to 35 minutes. (If using small muffin tins bake about 12 to 15 minutes.) Watch to make sure they do not over bake.

While the muffins cook, make the crumble topping and add to the top of the muffins (about a 1 teaspoon each) the last 2 minutes of baking.

Note: The batter was cold when we baked the muffins.

Crumble Topping:

*2 to 3 tablespoons Brown Sugar

*1 teaspoon Cinnamon

*1/4 cup Quick Oats

*1/4 cup Melted Butter, very warm

*Pinch Sea Salt, literally

Instructions Crumble Topping:

Mix together; Brown sugar, Cinnamon, oats, butter and salt. Mix until crumbly and add to the top of muffins and the end of baking.

Muffin Recipe adapted from Bridgerland Culinary Arts School.

Crumble Topping

Enjoy!

Lindy

Sombrero Pinata Cookies

Sombrero Piñata Sugar Cookies

Makes 12 Sugar Cookie Sombreros (12 base and 12 tops)

Special Supplies:

**2 Brownie Pop Molds, sprayed with cooking spray

**Whoopie Pie Pan, sprayed with cooking spray

**Wooden Dowel or Round End of Pastry Cutter

**White Melting Wafers, optional-but help full in attaching the sombrero top to base

**Sandwich Bags or Decorating Pastry Bags with round tips

Sugar Cookie Sombreros

**Makes 12 Cookie Sugar Cookie Sombreros (12 base and 12 tops)

**Bake 325*F.   10 to 14 minutes

*1 package 17.5 ounce Sugar Cookie Mix, like Betty Crocker

*1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

*1 large Egg 

*Red Food Coloring

*Blue Food Coloring

*Yellow Food Coloring

*Green or Moss Green Food Coloring

Other Color Options:

*Orange

*Violet

*Golden Yellow

*Teal

Mix together in a bow the Cookie dough mix, egg and water and stir until combined.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts then add food coloring to each individual part making 4 dough colors.

Scoop dough about 1 to 2 tablespoons dough into molds or as desired.

After baking allow sugar cookie tops to cool 1 to 2 minutes, then press in the round end of a handle pizza cutter or a dowel.

Cool completely before removing sugar cookie/brownies pop from molds. Fill with candy filling of choice.

Note: Cut off the base of the sombrero top if need to attach flat to sombrero base cookie, if needed to attach.  I used white melted candy wafers to attach the sombrero top to the base.

Decorate cookie sombreros as desired.

Brownie Sombrero Piñatas

Makes 22 Brownie tops and 22-24 sugar cookie sombrero base

Sugar cookie base

*1 package 17.5 ounce Sugar Cookie Mix, like Betty Crocker, follow directions above

Brownie Sombrero Tops

*1 box 18.3 ounce Fudge Brownie Mix, follow directions on box (I used Betty Crocker and bake 20 to 30 minutes. Level off Brownie tops if needed.

Fill brownie pop molds with 2/3 batter in each mold.

After baking allow brownie tops to cool 1 to 2 minutes, then press in the round end of a handle pizza cutter or a dowel. 

Cool completely before removing sugar cookie/brownies pop molds. Fill with candy filling of choice.

Note: Cut off the base of the sombrero top if need to attach flat to sombrero base cookie, if needed to attach.  I used white melted candy wafers to attach the sombrero top to the base.

Decorate cookie sombreros as desired.

Piñata Candy Filling & Decorating Ideas:

*Mini M & M’s

*Colorful Sprinkles

*Colorful Mini Candy Coated Colorful Chocolate Chips

*Decorating Decors NonPareils or other

*Decorating Decors Pearl or other

Frosting:

*1 plastic container 16 ounce Cream Cheese Frosting

Whip the frosting in a bowl with a stand mixer for 1 to 2 minutes.  Then divide the frosting into small bowls, using as many as needed for colors desired.

Frosting Food Coloring:

*Red

*Green 

*Blue 

*Yellow

*Orange

*White, set some frosting aside with no coloring for frosting glue (you will need more white than other colors

*More colors as desired

Use Pastry bags with round tip or use sandwich zip lock bags with corner snipped, the size desired for piping on sombrero cookies.

Recipe Inspiration from Tablespoon.com

Enjoy!

Lindy and Jessica