Cooking

Sweet Cherry Muffins

~ lindy

We had a sweet cherry tree in our yard that gave us beautiful sweet Bing Cherry type cherries.  We fought the birds for the cherries by using a net to cover the branches of cherries.  So, that being said we learned to love sweet cherries.  We think that these are the best sweet cherry muffins we have ever eaten and hope you will like them too!

Sweet Cherry Muffins

Cherry Muffins

*

*1/2 cup Butter, softened

*1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

*1/4 cup Brown Sugar

*2 Eggs, room temperature

*1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

*2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

*1 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour

*1 teaspoon Baking Soda

*1 teaspoon Baking Powder

*1 1/4 Sweet Cherries, pitted, whole or halved  or chopped as desired

*1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

*

*In a stand mixture cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract.

*

*Whisk together in a bowl the  flour, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add to the above creamed mixture.

*

Fold in sweet cherries and white chocolate chips.

Cheesecake Filling

*

*6 ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature

*1 Egg Yolk

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*3 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

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In a small bowl add the above ingredients and with a hand mixer beat together until all ingredients are combined.

Streusel  Topping

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*1/2 cup Brown Sugar

*1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

*1 teaspoon Cinnamon

*1/4 cup Butter, cold

*

Combine together with a pastry cutter the streusel ingredients into a crumbly consistency.

Add paper liners to muffin pans and add a small amount of batter to each muffin paper liner, then add a scoop of the cheesecake filling and add another scoop of muffin batter. Fill each liner 2/3 full and top with a spoonful or 2 of streusel mixture.

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Bake the muffins in pre-heated 350* F. oven for 20-25 minutes depending on the size of muffins and paper liners used. We used parchment liners.

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Allow muffins to cool in muffin pans. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Sunday Public and Sally’s Baking Addiction


  


Enjoy!

Jessica and Lindy

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ lindy

I kept trying to make different chocolate chip cookie recipes, but I still go back to this recipe that I’ve made since my children were little.  I hope you will give them a try; they seem to just melt in your mouth with yummy flavor that you expect from a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

*1 cup Butter, room temperature OR use 1/2 cup Butter Flavored Shortening and 1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

*1/2 cup White Sugar

*1 cup Brown Sugar

*3 Eggs, room temperature

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*2 and 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour, 1/4 cup more only if needed (Humidity in the air can make dough sticky adjust as needed.)

*1 teaspoon Baking Soda

*1 teaspoon Baking Powder

*1/4 teaspoon Salt

*1 cup Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips (my favorite) or Dark Chocolate Chips or Milk Chocolate Chips

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

Instructions:

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.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight for best results.

5.  Using a cookie scoop (about 1 or 2 tablespoons per cookie dough ball), scoop 6 to 12 scoops of dough onto Silpat covered 1/2 baking sheet, or cooking spray, or parchment paper would work as well.

Do not press down cookie dough scoops/balls.  (You could also top with a few chocolate chips if desired.)  Keep dough chilled between batches.

6.  In a pre-heated oven on 350*F.  bake the cookies about 8-10 or 10-12 minutes, (depending on scoop size) or when the edges barely begin to turn a light golden color, being careful not to over bake.

Makes about 30 large to 58 small cookies, depending on scoop size.

Tip:  For best results on baking any cooked or baked goods in the oven, make sure your oven is heating 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.

                    

Enjoy!

Lindy