Muffins and breakfast bread ideas from DINE Kitchens – Part 2

We started our series focused on muffins and breakfast breads last week in Part 1, when we focused on Chesterfield Inn’s Mocha Muffins, Rabbit Hill Inn’s Donut Muffins, juicy peach muffins from Inn at English Meadows and a sumptuous Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar Banana Bread from the Manor on Golden Pond.  We have so many great muffins from the kitchens of Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) members, that we had to extend the list into Part 2 below.  We all know that the day starts out with a fabulous and hearty homecooked breakfast at each of the ten Distinctive Inns of New England.  Many breakfast tables feature freshly baked muffins and breakfast breads.  What a perfect addition to a romantic getaway. As we watch the snow fall outside throughout DINE country, the oven beckons, and a fresh muffin is the perfect blizzard snack after an afternoon of shoveling.

One important tip from one of the chefs at the Deerfield Inn… As with any muffin recipe, do not overbeat the batter and put the muffins in the oven immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients.

Let’s start baking!

Rabbit Hill Inn  Sour Cream Blueberry Muffin

Ingredients for muffins:

Blueberry Muffins2 cups sugar

1-cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups sour cream

3 cups blueberries

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking

½ tsp baking powder

Ingredients for streusel topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup melted butter

Blend these ingredients together and set aside.

Method:

Mix together sugar, eggs, and oil.

Pour in sour cream and continue to mix.

Add berries and continue mixing.

Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix only until these ingredients are incorporated.

Scoop into greased muffin tins.

Sprinkle with streusel and bake at 400°F for about 15-20 minutes.

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins from Captain’s House Inn

While rhubarb is more of a spring fruit, if you’re lucky enough to have frozen some, it’ll work well for these muffins.  Otherwise, it’s available frozen or canned on Amazon.

Ingredients- for topping

Rhubarb muffins¾ All Purpose flour

2/3 brown sugar, packed

½ Tsp cinnamon

1/8 Tsp salt

5 Tbsp butter, softened

½ Lb. fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into ¼ inch dice

3 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar

Ingredients for muffins:

1 ¼ All Purpose flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp salt

1 stick (1/2 Cup) butter, softened

¾ Cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

½ tsp vanilla

½ Cup whole milk

Method

To make the streusel for the topping, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Blend the butter with your fingertips until mixture forms small clumps.

To make the cake batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Beat together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with the electric mixer at a medium speed until blended.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add flour mixture and milk alternately in 2 batches, begging and ending with the flour mixture and mix till combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups (1/2 Full). Toss the rhubarb with confectioner’s sugar and sprinkle batter with rhubarb, then crumble streusel evenly on top. Bake until tops go golden and a tester comes out clean. (22-25minutes)

Cool in the pans for 3 minutes then loosen the edges with a knife, remove from the pan and leave to cool slightly.

Yield 23:   Individual Muffin Tins

Homemade Carrot Muffin Recipe from Chesterfield Inn

Ingredients

1/2 c. pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
Muffins - sprinkling sugr2 c. grated raw carrot (2 to 3 peeled carrots)
1 large apple, peeled and grated
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4c. granulated white sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 c. coconut
3 large eggs
3/4 c safflower or canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

 Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Place fluted paper liners in 18 muffin cups.

Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes and until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

Peel and finely grate the carrots and apple. Set aside.

In large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the nuts and coconut. Set aside.

In separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients, along with the grated carrot and apple, into the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffins cups and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 10 minutes remove the muffins from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp. powder sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat the butter and cream cheese until exceptionally smooth with no lumps. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla.

Nate’s Five Spice Muffins from Deerfield Inn

Ingredients:

Muffins-tilting pile1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

¼ vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup canned pumpkin or apple sauce

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon each: anise, fennel, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional, but yummy addition)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Beat in the sour cream, pumpkin and sugar.

In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and five spices.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the flour is just moistened – do not beat.

Fold in the chopped pecans (optional).

Fill the muffin tins between half to two-thirds full with the batter.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for 5 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Yields about 20 muffins.

Lime Curd Muffins from Rabbit Hill Inn

This Rabbit Hill Inn Lime Curd Muffin recipe is a big hit on our breakfast buffet.  As you can see by many of our delicious muffin recipes, it always begins with our versatile basic muffin recipe.  From there,  the options are endless.  And this Rabbit Hill Inn Lime Curd recipe can be used in many other ways, including lovely lime curd desserts, pie and tart fillings, and spreads for scones.

Lime curd Ingredients for muffin batter

2 cups sugar

1-cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups sour cream

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

Lime Curd (use a decent quality jar curd or make your own. See our lime curd recipe below.)

Ingredients for streusel topping

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup melted butter

In a separate bowl, blend these ingredients together and set aside.

Ingredients for Lime Curd

3 eggs & 3 egg yolks  -> place in bowl & whisk
5 oz of lime juice (fresh) & 1 cup of sugar -> bring to simmer in saucepan to dissolve sugar
1 tsp of lime zest
1/2 cup of butter, softened

Method for lime curd

Pour 1/4 of the warm syrup over the egg mixture, whisking.

Then pour egg mixture into the rest of the simmering syrup – whisking constantly to slowly thicken to a custard consistency

Immediately strain through a fine sieve into a storage container

Add 1 tsp of lime zest and 1/2 cup butter.  Stir to incorporate. If you wish for a deeper green color, add a drop of food color.

Cover and refrigerate until cool.

Method for muffins

Mix together sugar, eggs, and oil.  Pour in sour cream and continue to mix.

Add flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix only until these ingredients are  incorporated.

Scoop into greased muffin tins.

With a spoon, make an indentation on top of each muffin.  Fill with a tsp of lime curd.

Sprinkle top with streusel and bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes (or until done).

Recipe Yield: 12 standard size muffins

You’ll find delicious freshly baked treats on the breakfast table whenever you stay at a DINE inn.  Be sure to book direct when you plan your getaway.

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton

In New Hampshire: Manor on Golden Pond  in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield.

In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic

In Maine:  Inn at English Meadows in Kennebunkport

In Massachusetts:  Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton