Muffin and pancake day...

I had just about a half cup left in a jar of apple butter lounging around in the refrigerator that I've been trying to figure out how to use up. Today seemed like a good day to bake a batch of muffins and this recipe for Spiced Apple Cider Muffins would take care of that leftover apple butter!

I know the ingredient list for the muffin batter looks a little long, but for these muffins it is worth it! I used a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole-wheat flour - we spiced the two flours with a healthy dose of cinnamon and a sprinkling of fresh grated nutmeg for that wonderful fall aroma they give. The muffins are sweetened with a mixture of brown sugar and an equal amount of pure maple syrup for a rich depth. Keeping the muffins light and quite moist is a combination of apple butter, apple cider, tangy yogurt and just a few tablespoons of oil.

Now, I'm sure they would have been tasty enough as is, but these get even better with the buttery sweet crumbles from a cinnamon-scented streusel tossed on top before baking. If you have an affinity for nuts, add a couple tablespoons of finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel mixture before you top the muffins for a nutty crunch. When I make these again, I think we may reduce the cinnamon a little and toss in a few cinnamon chips for an extra special treat.

Jeff loves when we have a breakfast-for-dinner night, so I made Orange-Ricotta Pancakes for us to have this evening. I must confess this recipe is a little more involved than most, but it does produce a very light and fluffy pancake!

Instead of just relying on baking powder or soda as a leavener, we separated the eggs and whipped the whites to stiff peaks to help lighten the more heavy ricotta batter. Kissing the pancakes with a bright sweetness is grated orange zest and a couple tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice. I did find that these took a couple extra minutes to completely cook through than normal pancakes, but they browned evenly without getting any darker from being on the griddle longer. We gave them a shower in confectioners' sugar when we ate them as to not cover up the orange-y flavor, but they were not overly sweet, so they could handle a drizzle of maple syrup on top. We quite liked the mild ricotta flavor and it made for a pretty filling pancake - however, with the airy egg whites doing their thang, they also didn't leave that heavy pit in your stomach if you ate more than you should have (hint hint...).

Recipes
Spiced Apple Cider Muffins
Orange-Ricotta Pancakes