Mini-Donut Muffins

I recently acquired a couple of mini-donut pans. I bought mine from Avon, but I've seen them online as well, so I know they're out there. The fun thing is that the recipe that came with the pans, (for "Old Fashioned Buttermilk Donuts") makes really delicious little cinnamon donuts that remind me of The Forks in Winnipeg and The Exhibition, where we used to buy little mini cinnamon donuts. I reasoned that this recipe should work with regular mini muffin tins, so I tweaked it a bit- cutting down the recipe for a start (the original makes about 6 dozen of the things), and have come up with this manageable facsimile. They are very quick to mix up, and can be baked and ready to serve in about 30 minutes. I hope you try them. Not just for little children.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ground cloves (optional) and ground cinnamon
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter or hard margarine melted

Topping:
2 Tablespoons butter or hard margarine, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325*F. Lightly grease 1 & 1/12 mini-muffin pans.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and first amount of cinnamon together.

Mix buttermilk, egg and first amount of melted margarine together in another bowl; stir into the dry ingredients.

Fill each greased muffin tin about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned and spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes, (until you can handle them) then remove from pan.

Topping:
Put butter (melted) in a small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl. Dip tops of slightly cooled muffins in the butter, and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat the tops.

Makes about 18 mini-muffins.

Hippy Bars

This started life as an Oatmeal-Raisin bar... but I needed something with tons more fiber and protein that would be a good snack for summer treks. I'm very pleased with it. If you're allergic to peanuts, try substituting mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce for the peanut butter. These bars have a lot of fibery substance and a wonderful flavour. I found powdered soy protein at our local Nutter's; look for it at a health food or bulk store. If you can't find any, or want to leave it out, try adding the 1/4 cup all purpose flour that I took out when I added the protein powder.

50 ml (1/4 cup) hard margarine
50 ml (1/4 cup) no salt/ no sugar added peanut butter
125 ml (1/2 cup) corn syrup or honey
250 ml (1 cup) quick (not instant) rolled oats
125 ml (1/2 cup) Red River cereal
500 ml (2 cups) Rogers 9 Grain cereal (scroll down a bit)
125 ml (1/2 cup) Splenda, artificial sweetener
175 ml (3/4 cup) Compliments 5 Fruit Medley (raisins, cranberries, dried blueberries, and cherries) or other chopped dried fruit
1 sour apple, cored and diced (with peel)
150 ml (2/3 cup) bulk protein powder
2 eggs
10 ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

In microwaveable bowl, combine margarine, peanut butter and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes, or until melted together.

While the syrup cools a bit, mix together the cereals, Splenda, fruit and protein powder.

Mix egg and vanilla into syrup mixture. Stir well to blend.

Add dry ingredients to syrup. Stir to combine, until cereals are well coated with syrup. Firmly press into the foil lined pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, and invert pan onto a large wooden cutting board. (Place the board on top of the pan, then use oven mitts to flip the pan over onto the board.) Carefully lift pan off bars, and remove foil. Let cool 5 - 10 minutes, then cut into bars with a long knife. Makes 24 bars. Store in airtight container.

Per Bar:
155 calories, 5.3 g total fat, .55 g saturated fats, 17 mg cholesterol, 33 mg sodium, 8 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 21 mg calcium.

Salsa

8 cups tomatoes, drained (4- 796 mL diced should do it)*
4 cups green peppers (4 - 5 large), seeded and chopped
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup sweet red pepper (1 - 2 large), seeded and chopped
1 cup seeded, chopped jalopino peppers
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups vinegar
2 or 3 tins tomato paste (156 mL size)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp pickling salt
2 tsp. paprika

Bring all ingredients to a boil, in a large pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or til vegetables are cooked and liquid is reduced to desired thickness.

Sterilize jars and lids**. Fill hot jars with hot liquid; seal and process in hot water bath 20 minutes, for pint jars, 30 minutes for quart jars.

Makes 4 - 5 litres.

* if you strain tomatoes through a fine wire mesh strainer, you can heat the juice and fill hot sterilized jars. Process with the salsa to preserve the tomato juice for drinking or soups.

** Wash jars and lids. Sterilize jars in a 225* F. oven for 10 minutes, then keep warm until you fill them. In small pot, cover lids with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Keep warm til you use them.

Cinnamon Buns

I have changed the original (from Company's Coming Breads) enough that I am comfortable sharing it. Give these a try- they're worth it! HINT: My friend Janet sometimes makes her cinnamon buns just before bed, and lets them rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. I've done this when I have two empty shelves, and it works a treat. In the morning take the buns out of the fridge. Turn on the oven, and while the buns warm to room temperature and the oven heats up, you go have your shower- or make the coffee, or whatever! When the oven is ready, pop in the buns and away you go. Hot fresh cinnamon buns for breakfast, without having to get up at 5:30 in the morning! (freezing them for later works too!) It's good to note that these are fairly quick buns, with only 1 rising time. When I'm using my Kitchen Aid mixer I can have them mixed up, risen and baked within 2 hours. If they are too hot to ice and it's time to eat, just tip the pan over onto a large serving platter, call them "sticky buns" and serve them hot without icing. (trust me, no one will miss that extra bit of sugar!)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 (1/4 oz/ 8 g) Active dry yeast (about a tablespoon)
1 large egg
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 cups (approximately) all purpose flour

FILLING:

1/4 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. cinnamon

SYRUP:

1 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter or hard margarine
1 Tbsp. corn syrup/ golden syrup

ICING:

3/4 - 1 cup icing sugar
1/8 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Line 2- 9 x 13 inch baking pans with foil. Spray foil with cooking oil spray.

Stir granulated sugar into warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast.

While yeast is proofing, mix the filling ingredients together, and measure the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan.

Mix in eggs, cooking oil and salt. Work in enough flour to make a soft dough; til dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and isn't sticking to your fingers. Turn out onto floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each part, one at a time, into a 9 x 12 inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle with half of the filling, then roll up from the long side. Let the rolls rest while you make the syrup.

Melt syrup ingredients together in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar and blend well. Syrup should be smooth and un-separated, like caramel sauce*. (if it starts to boil, remove from heat or you'll find the syrup turns to hard candy on the bottom of your cinnamon buns) Pour the syrup into the two prepared pans, dividing it equally between them. If you like Pecan-cinnamon rolls, sprinkle toasted pecans (about 1/2 cup per pan) over syrup.
*if the butter hasn't blended in, it doesn't really matter; just make sure you divide it carefully to get melted butter and caramel-ly sugar as even in the two pans as you can.

Cut each roll into 12 equal (approximately 1 inch) pieces. Arrange cinnamon rolls over syrup in pan.

Cover with a tea towel. Let stand in oven with the light on (or in a warm place) for about 45 minutes, til doubled in size. Bake at 350 *F for 20 - 25 minutes. Drizzle with icing. (If you ice while warm, they'll have a nice glazed look. If you want to see the icing, wait til they're cooled) If you're making pecan buns, you might like to forgo the icing, and turn hot, baked buns out onto sheets of foil to cool (so the syrup and pecans are on the top)

Yield: 2 dozen cinnamon buns

NOTES:

Cinnamon Buns have become our traditional Christmas Morning breakfast. I often place the rolled buns (without syrup- I increase the filling by 1/2 and give them lots of icing instead) into Tree or Snowman shapes.

To make "individual" Christmas Morning Cinnamon Bun Trees I'll divide the dough that would make 12 buns into 4 parts before rolling it out. Each 1/4 of the dough gets rolled and spread with filling, then cut into "mini" cinnamon buns.

Bake these specially shaped buns on a greased, foil lined cookie sheet. If you're baking them ahead and freezing them, wrap them lightly in the foil then pop them into a freezer bag. Take them out the night before and let them thaw on the counter overnight.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Definitely a family favourite! Easy to halve or double. These freeze well. We've also shaped the dough into one or two large rolls, wrapped it in plastic wrap, then placed it in a freezer bag in the freezer. They can be sliced, and baked frozen as per instructions as needed.

1 cup hard margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour (enough to make a stiff dough that can be rolled into balls)
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream margarine and sugars together. Add eggs, then the rest of the ingredients as listed. Scoop dough into balls with an ice cream scoop or large spoon, and drop onto greased cookie sheets, a few inches apart. (12 on a 9 X 13" sized pan) Bake at 350*F for: 10-12 minutes for larger cookies, 8-10 minutes for smaller ones. Remove to cooling racks to cool.

Yield: 4 dozen large cookies.

Variations:

Mini Rolo Cookies are awesome- substitute Mini Rolos for Chocolate Chips. For best results, bake cookies on cookie sheets lined with greased aluminum foil or parchment paper. When cookies are baked, slide foil off pan and allow cookies to cool completely before removing them from the foil.

Smarties or M&Ms work well in place of chocolate chips.

Easter Bunny Cookies- if you have an abundance of Easter chocolate, coarsely chop it and use it in place of chocolate chips.

Popsicles

Adapted slightly from the Company's Coming Kids Cooking cookbook.

85 g (3 oz.) flavoured gelatin (jelly powder)
1 x 6 g (1/4 oz) package Kool-Aid (drink mix without sugar)
250 ml (1 cup) granulated sugar
500 ml (2 cups) boiling water
500 ml (2 cups) cold water or fruit juice

Combine flavoured gelatin , Kool-Aid and sugar in a large bowl*. Add boiling water, and stir until everything is dissolved.

Add cold water. Stir. Transfer popsicle liquid into a pitcher or cup with a pouring spout, and fill popsicle molds. Freeze for about 8 hours or overnight. Makes enough for about 16 popsicles.

If you fill all your molds and have liquid left, put it in a plastic yogurt container or cup (divide it between as many cups as you need for children present!) and freeze til it's slushy then serve it for dessert at lunch with a spoon.

Use any Jell-O and Kool-Aid combinations that you like.

* Use a large 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup with a spout, if you have it. This works a treat, and you don't have to transfer it to another container for pouring.

LAURALEA'S METHOD: In a 2 cup, glass measuring cup (with a spout) measure 50 ml (which is half a package) of gelatin powder, 2 ml (which is half a package) of Kool-aid, 125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar and 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water. When everything is dissolved, fill the cup to the 500 ml (2 cup) line with cold water. Fill the popsicle molds, and freeze. This makes at least 8 popsicles. If I've started the summer with a full recipe, I'll use this method when I have 8 empty popsicle molds collected to keep the popsicles going.

Diabetic Popsicles

In an 8 cup Pyrex measuring bowl with a spout*, measure 1 package "light" gelatin powder, (with no sugar added), 1 package Kool-Aid or Freshie drink mix, without sugar and 125 ml (1/2 cup) Splenda artificial sweetener. Stir in 500 ml (2 cups) boiling water and mix until everything is dissolved. Add 500 ml (2 cups) cold water OR pure, no sugar added fruit juice, OR diet soda (such as Lemon-Lime or Ginger Ale) and stir to mix.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze about 8 hours or overnight.

If you have leftover popsicle juice, divide it into small yogurt or dessert cups and freeze til partially set. Serve with a spoon for an after school treat or dessert.

*or use a large mixing bowl, then pour it into a juice jug to fill molds

HALF RECIPE:

In a 2 cup, glass measuring cup (with a spout) measure 7 ml (which is half a package) of "light" gelatin powder (with no sugar added), 2 ml (which is half a package) of Kool-aid, 50 ml (1/4 cup) Splenda artificial sweetener, and 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water. When everything is dissolved, fill the cup to the 500 ml (2 cup) line with cold water (or pure fruit juice or diet soda). Fill popsicle molds and freeze. This makes at least 8 popsicles.

I often start the summer off with a full recipe, then make a half recipe to top up the supply as the molds empty. Vary the flavours- use your imagination. Let the kids help create new popsicle flavour sensations! Who knows, raspberry Jell-O and grape Kool-Aid might taste great together!