Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Here are some muffins I make adapting a Brown Sugar Muffin recipe that both my mother in law and one of my aunts uses. Rory always insists every fall that we dry apples, but then we never eat them. This year I decided to come up with some way to use them. Every time I make these muffins, I substitute something else to make them a little healthier. Last time I made them, the first time I used splenda, I made some with sugar and some with splenda and I couldn't tell the difference.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Healthy substitutions in (parentheses)). This is a double batch.

1 cup butter or margarine (1/2 c margarine, 3 T. ground flax seed)

2 cups brown sugar (2 cups Splenda, I use the generic from Winco or Walmart)

2 eggs (You can substitute flax seed for these too, but I wasn't brave enough to change too many things at a time)

4 cups flour (I use whole wheat)

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup reconstituted dried apples, chopped (I chop them in a mini food chopper thing that we got 5 of at our wedding reception)

Cinnamon (I use lots, probably 3 tablespoons)

2 cups chopped nuts (I have never added nuts, the other people in my family are opposed to them.)

Brown sugar (Optional)

Combine butter and sugar and mix well. Stir in eggs, flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Add milk, vanilla and mix well. Stir in apples and nuts. (The batter of these is really thick, not runny like most muffins I have done.) Scoop into muffin cups, sprinkle on a little brown sugar on top.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Horchata Ice Cream

I got an ice cream maker for mother's day and am LOVING it. Rory loves horchata (a mexican drink) and we had some mix for it so I experimented a little and he loved it.

Horchata Ice Cream
3/4 c horchata mix
2 1/4 c water
2 c cream
1 1/2 T cinnamon

Mix well and freeze.

Pudding Mix Ice Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups milk (I used skim)

2 (3.4 oz) packages pudding (I used pistachio)

Stir all together and freeze in ice cream freezer.

Raspberry Tiramisu

Syrup (You may want to double this).

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Melt together until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Raspberry Filling

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Powdered sugar to taste

Mix together.

Whipped cream (I used real sweetened whipped cream, probably 3 cups before whipped,the equivalent of 2 big tubs of Cool whip, which would work too.) Set aside some for the top. Fold remaining into cream cheese mixture.

Ladyfinger cookies (although I don't really like the texture of these, they are like angel food cake so that would be the cheaper, easier way to go. I will probably use pound cake next time, I'm not a fan of angel food cake).

Raspberries (I used frozen, but I am sure fresh would be so much better!)

Layer raspberry filling, lady fingers dipped into the syrup, filling, raspberries, and repeat until everything is used up, top with whipped cream and some raspberries.

I made this in a big glass bowl.

Aunt Karen's Fruit Salad

Big strawberry yogurt

Big cool whip

1 box vanilla pudding

Frozen triple berry blend from Costco (although any fruit would be yummy.)

Mix all together.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

I made this a few weeks ago, and forgot to post it or write anything down, so I hope I remember how I did it.

I made a yellow cake mix and added strawberry jam and lemon juice to it. In the middle I put a lemon filling made with 1/2 a can of lemon pie filling, 3 oz. cream cheese, and powdered sugar to make it a good consistancy.

Then for the frosting I just made a buttercream frosting with strawberry jam in it. Sorry I don't remember amounts or anything, it was a while ago I made it.

Yummy, Moist Almond Cake

http://www.epicurean.com/featured/butter-almond-cake-recipe.html

Used Torani Orgeat syrup instead of orange zest. Made in a heart shaped pan.

Chocolate Ganache

9 oz. milk chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

Melt together, stir. Cool until spreading consistency, frost cake. Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.