They Belong Together Like PB&J {Recipe: Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins}

This is a twist to a recipe I used to make as a kid from one of my first cookbooks, Betty Crocker's Cookbook. The recipe is a suggested variation of the traditional muffin recipe in the book called "Surprise Muffins" and are filled with jam or jelly. I am surprised it took me this long to think of making a PB&J version of these muffins, I mean, what goes better together?

Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray 8 wells of a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

In another mixing bowl, whisk together:

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling for muffins:

3 tablespoons jam or jelly

Pour peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined, being careful not to over stir. The mixture will be thick. Fill the prepared wells of muffin tin about 1/2 way. Create a small indentation in the center of the batter with a small spoon or fingertip (dampen spoon or fingertip with water, if needed, the batter is sticky). Fill each dip with a teaspoon of jam or jelly. Distribute the remaining of the batter to cover the jam or jelly. Bake muffins for about 15-20 minutes, or until nice and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  

Yields 8 muffins

Enjoy!

Mom's Make Things Look Easy! {Recipe: Small Batch Swedish Pancakes)

 

This Swedish Pancake recipe is from my mother's old recipe box. These pancakes were a favorite of my father's and I still remember my mother making them for him; she made it look so easy! I found them a little challenging, but maybe I just need more practice. 

Small Batch Swedish Pancakes

1-1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour, sifted

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Let batter stand for 2 hours, then give a quick pulse of the batter just before cooking. Heat a medium size nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, brush pan with clarified butter* pour about 1/2 cup batter into heated pan and cook on both sides until nicely browned. 

Note: It is bit of a challenge to flip these. My mom made it look effortless, but I had a bit of trouble. I came up with 2 solutions: 1. I loosened the pancake with one spatula and slid it under one side of the pancake, then used a second spatula on the other side and flipped. This took a bit of coordination, but it worked. 2. I cooked the pancake until it was lightly browned on one side and looked dry on the other. Then I folded the pancake in half, let it cook until nicely browned on one side, flipped it, and nicely browned it on the other side. Then folded the pancake in half again (finished pancake is pictured below).

Topping suggestions:

Butter

Jam

Sour Cream

Berry syrup

Maple syrup

Nutella

Fresh berries

Lemon curd

 

Some good topping combinations:

Butter and Jam

Maple syrup and melted butter

Sour cream, jam, or berry syrup

A squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of granulated sugar, and fresh blueberries

*Clarified is readily available these days at Trader Joe's and many grocery stores, but if you do not have it, cooking oil should work fine. 

Enjoy!