Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemony Glaze

These don't come very big but they're tasty :)

For the cupcakes:

2/3 cup sugar

10 tablespoons butter, melted

5 egg whites

4 tbsp blue poppy seeds

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon (or more, depending on how lemony you want it!

For the glaze:

2 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk (or more if it seems too thick - but it shouldn't be too runny)

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or juice

1 drop yellow food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to 305°F (yes, 305, not 350). Line 12 muffin cups with baking cups. In a large bowl beat 

the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar and beat more. In separate bowl, sift in the flour and baking powder, then stir in the poppy seeds. Put flour mixture in egg mixture and combine. Add the melted butter and stir more. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and stir again. I tasted it at this point to see if I wanted more lemon, but I don't recommend doing so as there are uncooked eggs in the batter).

Put about an ice cream scoop's worth into each baking cup (about 3/4 full). Bake for 30-35 minutes. Muffins should come out easily and cool quickly. Drizzle with glaze when done. 

Poppyseed Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Found this recipe online somewhere, but took out the lemon zest. Both my dad and my boyfriend's dad are fond of poppyseed muffins, so I'm turning this into cupcakes by adding the ganache glaze. :)


For the cupcakes:

2/3 cup sugar

10 tablespoons butter, melted

5 egg whites

4 tbsp blue poppy seeds

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder

For the glaze:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 305°F (yes, 305, not 350). Line 12 muffin cups with baking cups. In a large bowl beat 
the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar and beat more. In separate bowl, sift in the flour and baking powder, then stir in the poppy seeds. Put flour mixture in egg mixture and combine. Add the melted butter and stir more.


Put about an ice cream scoop's worth into each baking cup (about 3/4 full). Bake for 30-35 minutes. Muffins should come out easily and cool quickly. Drizzle with ganache when done. 

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache filling and Chocolate Mint Frosting

Hmmm is one missing??

I topped them with leftover ganache and white chocolate chips!

I love Isa Chandra/Terry Romero's "Basic Chocolate Cupcake" from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and tend to use that as the base of a lot of my cupcakes. This is a personal variation. The cupcake is vegan but the ganache and frosting are not!



For cupcakes:

1 cup coconut milk (recipe calls for soy but I'm allergic to that!)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon mint extract (or peppermint - the mint extract is more spearminty) (taste the batter if you'd like to add more extract - a little goes a long way!)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together the coconut milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and mint extract, to the coconut milk mixture and beat until foamy (will look kind of oily). In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).

Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache Filling (I used double this recipe but had a lot left over...):

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Boil heavy whipping cream and pour over chips. Let stand 7 minutes, then whisk together. When cupcakes are cool, pipe into cupcakes with a filling tip.

Chocolate Mint Frosting:

6 tbsp butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

4 tbsp cocoa powder

2 to 3 tbsp milk (optional)

1/4 teaspoon mint extract (again, taste to see if you'd like to add more)

Any leftover ganache

Cream butter. Combine confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder and sift into butter, mixing again. Add about 1/2 cup ganache if you have any left over (I suppose you can always make more). Add milk if frosting seems too thick and mix again. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Oatmeal Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

Found this recipe online - turning my Dad's favorite cookies into cupcakes! Will post picture once I make these!

For cupcakes:

1/2 cup of butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup of sugar
2 medium eggs
3/4 cup of honey
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of quick-cook oats
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs and honey and then mix thoroughly. Combine the dry ingredients, then sift into creamed mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes or until done. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

3 - 4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter in large bowl, adding confectioner's sugar about a cup at a time, beating on low between each addition. Add 3 tablespoons milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat on medium 1 minute. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon of milk if frosting is too thick. Pipe onto cupcakes.