Spiced Coffee Muffins with Maple Glaze

"November always seemed to me the Norway of the year." ~ Emily Dickinson

Day three of seemingly endless rain and gusty winds - I have two saucepans catching water from a weeping roof, one in the dining room and one in the entryway (I've already tripped over the latter countless times). But I'm content. The wind is softy whistling its way through every lean crack of this old farm house, giving it a cosy, haunting ambiance. There's still a handful of mustard colored leaves clinging to their sinewy branches outside my window, if I look up from just the right angle, the leaves appear to be scorching the dark grey sky.

I also have a healthy stock of wild mushroom bisque from the local bakery, another pot of fresh coffee on tap, and about four three spiced muffins to see me through the next 12 waterlogged hours.

"Après moi, le déluge."

Cherry Muffins

As I was ransacking drawers and cabinets searching for the FURminator (the crème de la crème of cat brushes), I found an old SD card...one that I thought I'd never see again. And it still has a handful of photos that I was too lazy to upload!

This is great news because my camera "accidentally" feel off the table last weekend, so she may be inoperable for a few days.

Strawberry - Lemon Muffins

This time of year, with juicy fresh berries so readily available, I sometimes end up buying more than my refrigerator (and light-colored clothes), can handle. I have several non-berry recipes waiting in the wings, but for some reason, I felt an urgent need to share these muffins with you...as though the recipe would wither away as fast as it's scene-stealing, unassumingly sweet, not-enough-room-in-the-fridge-for-'em, strawberries.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

My love for all things lemon took a turn for the worst when I attempted a chocolate citrus adaptation of this recipe. Everything seemed to be going so well, I rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar that went into the dough, and I replaced the cinnamon/brown sugar filling with orange zest, granulated sugar, and shaved chocolate. Big mistake.

Everything sank to the bottom of the muffin tin. I was left with a dozen, semi-naked, embarrassed rolls of dough. The small amount of chocolate that managed to cling to the surface of each roll just looked sad and defeated. Good try, chocolate. Good try.

(I heard the bottle of cinnamon trying to hold back stifled laughs.)

Lesson learned. Not everything can be replaced with lemons.

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Welcome to March! Believe me, I'm extremely happy that Spring is on it's way, but because of the mild winter, it almost feels as though the warm weather hasn't been properly earned.

Usually winter and I spar with each other, and by March, it feels as though the monotonous grey, cold, snow-filled days are bleeding into one another and will never end. (Don't tell winter, but I secretly kind of enjoy the torment.) This year the warmer weather will arrive, but it'll feel more like I'm seeing someone that I have been speaking with every weekend, instead of someone who has been gone for several months.

The moody poet/artist in me likes to suffer before allowing herself to feel happy. Luckily this abnormality doesn't taint my world of baking (at least not very often). Case and point; These yeast-free, baked, doughnut muffins. Yes, instant gratification can sometimes be good, very, very good.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Citrus Pecan Sunshine Muffins

I couldn't possibly stay away for lemons for too long. And I'm happy to say that they rebounded quite well in this recipe. These muffins match the mood that everyone seems to be in now that Spring is on the way. They're perky, hopeful, and full of promise for the coming day/season. As opposed to my usual late-winter sulky persona (this year it was almost as bad as my angsty, brooding, door-slamming preteen phase.) I'm just so happy that the long months of winter are Finally coming to an end!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

What could make a morning more perfectly tolerable than a cup of dark roast coffee and a lemon poppy seed muffin? To me, mornings are like fresh sheets of clean white paper just waiting for a story to unfold, they couldn't care less about what happened yesterday. And if one could eat an actual morning, I believe that it would taste like a lemon poppy seed muffin- soft centered, bright, and sweetly unpretentious. But then again they do contain lemons, so I may be biased. :-)

Orange and Chocolate Chip Muffins

The final birthday of March and my dessert offerings have bottle necked their way down to muffins.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

For finally reaching my 100th post I was hoping for something more elaborate with some fancy schmancy appearance. But my trusted point and click camera is on loan for a while and I don't want to wait a week to post something.

Streusel Coffee Muffins with Maple Glaze

I hope my fellow Tuesdays with Dorie bakers will forgive me for making a recipe which hasn't been chosen yet. If it helps my case any, I did *doctor* it up a bit and add a few twists...and I will still make these in their true form once the recipe pops up. It's just that I have been craving muffins the last several days and these had been calling to me every time I picked up the book, you see. Yes, I know, I am weak. But I can't say that I have any regrets about these bountiful splendid muffins!