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THE SEMISWEET SISTERS

Two sisters who love to bake...

Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins

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Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins.

This is an easy classic blueberry muffin recipe. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. Feel free to use regular or course sugar to sprinkle on top of the batter.


Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10-11
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
  • sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. degrees. Grease or line muffin pan.
  2. Combine, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in oil, egg, vanilla and milk. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups ¾ of the way full. Sprinkle the batter with ⅛ teaspoon of sugar on each cup.
  3. Bake at 400 F. degrees for 19-25 mins.

 

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Dairy Free Waffles (made with water)

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Dairy Free Waffles (made with water instead of milk). No weird milk substitutes like I’ve seen in other recipes.

I don’t have a regular waffle maker so I made them in my Belgian waffle maker. The only real difference is they are bigger and thicker sized waffles. I have the Oster brand Belgian waffle maker (affiliate link).

I didn’t know if it was possible to make dairy free pancakes or waffles. All of the recipes I found had weird ingredients in them with milk substitutes like almond milk & I couldn’t use any of them because the person I wanted to make them for has bad food allergies. So I made up this recipe that uses water instead of milk & vegetable oil instead of butter. They turned out light & fluffy & tasted just as good as my regular homemade waffle recipe. I served them with real maple syrup on top.

So if your dealing with a milk allergy or perhaps you’ve ran out of milk at your house, you can still make waffles from scratch. If your waffle batter is too thick add a little more water, you want it to be the same consistency as regular waffle/pancake batter. I find that sometimes I have to add an extra tablespoon of water to mine to thin it out.

The recipe below made 6 Belgian waffles. If only cooking for 1 or 2 people you could cut the recipe in half if you want a small amount.

Dairy Free Waffles made with water.

 

Dairy Free Waffles (made with water)
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
  • 2 large egg
  • 1½ cups water
  • ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • ⅓ cup oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Add eggs to mixing bowl & whisk really well (about 2 minutes).
  2. Add water, sugar, oil, & vanilla & stir. Add in flour, baking powder, & salt. Mix just until everything is combined. If mix is too thick you can add a little bit more water. You want it to look like normal pancake/waffle batter.
  3. Let sit for a few minutes.
  4. Heat up your waffle iron and use as directed to cook the waffles. (My waffle iron has a heat setting and I cooked on medium/high for about 5 or 6 minutes, varies).
  5. Serve warm.
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Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts Glazed

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Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts Glazed.

I love donuts. It is fun to be able to make baked donuts at home. This recipe makes moist vanilla cake donuts. You can add a vanilla glaze to them, coat them in cinnamon and sugar, frost them with chocolate or vanilla frosting, they are versatile.

This recipe makes anywhere from 6-9 donuts depending on how high you fill the donut pan (affiliate link). I’ve made it a few times filling all 6 donut cavities to the top & it makes 6 big donuts but the hole in the middle kind of closes up so now I usually make 8-9 smaller donuts.  If you don’t own a donut pan you can make your own using a muffin pan instead if you roll up aluminum foil into balls and place them in the middle of each muffin hole. To create the hole just pour the batter around the aluminum foil balls.

I like to use a small spoon to scoop the batter into the donut pan but you can also use a piping bag or make your own using a ziploc bag & cutting a bottom corner to pour the batter into the pan.

The tops will be a very light golden brown when they are done and they will be springy to the touch. If you have trouble removing them from the pan try using a small rubber spatula. The bottom side of the donuts will be a nice dark golden brown color (as shown below).

If you don’t like your donuts sticky then I recommend storing them in the fridge to keep the glaze hard.

 

Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts Glazed
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
  • (add ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
  • For The Glaze:
  • 1¼ cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease donut pan with oil or cooking spray.
  2. Whisk together the sour cream, egg, vanilla, butter, & sugar in a bowl.
  3. Add flour, soda, salt, & nutmeg (optional) & stir together until well combined.
  4. Fill donut pan with batter & bake for 12-16 minutes or until the top is springy to the touch & the sides are turning golden brown. Remove from oven & let cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
  5. For the Glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar & milk together. Glaze should be thin so you can easily dip the donuts to glaze them. You may need to add a little more milk or powered sugar to get the right consistency.
  6. Once the donuts have cooled down a bit dip the donuts into the glaze, flipping them over so both sides get covered. Set on a cooling rack to dry. Place a piece of waxed paper or paper towel under the cooling rack for easier clean up from the dripping glaze.
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Classic Coffee Cake

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Classic Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

A classic recipe for cinnamon coffee cake. I first started making this year many years ago in high school. I have changed it a little since then but this is my go to recipe for an easy coffee cake. The cake turns out really moist and to me it is not overly sweet. The original recipe called for 1 cup of sugar instead of 1/2 cup which you find in the recipe below.

This is a small batch coffee cake that bakes in a 8×8″ baking dish. The original version was for double and made in a 9×13″ pan but I usually don’t need such a large batch. I usually make the recipe below then cut it into 9 square pieces.

  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • Topping:
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees. Grease a 8×8 inch square baking pan & set aside.
  2. Stir together the butter & sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg, sour cream, yogurt & vanilla, and mix well.
  3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, & baking soda together and mix until well combined.
  4. Topping: In a small bowl stir the brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon together.
  5. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan (I use the back of a spoon to spread it out so it’s all laying evenly). Using a spoon sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan. Take a knife and swirl the cinnamon topping in.
  6. Bake at 350 F. for about 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center. Cool a few minutes before serving.
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Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Coffee Cake in a Loaf Pan

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Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Coffee Cake in a Loaf Pan.

Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Coffee Cake made in a loaf pan. My favorite kind of breakfast. I love coffee cakes!

Photos below show the process. The photo on the left is adding the cinnamon swirl part of the dough in the middle. The photo on the right shows the crumb topping added.

 

Look at all that crumb topping! Crumb topping is my favorite.

 

Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Coffee Cake in a Loaf Pan
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • -For Crumb Topping-
  • 1¼ Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1¼ Tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoon salted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour (may need a little more)
  • -For The Cake-
  • 1¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ⅓ cup plain (or vanilla) yogurt or buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (for cinnamon swirl)
Instructions
  1. Make the crumb topping: combine sugars, cinnamon, melted butter, & flour; stir well. If your crumb topping is still too wet add a little more flour. You want it to be a consistency you can easily crumble between your fingers. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan.
  3. Using an electric mixer mix flour, sugar, & baking soda together. Add butter & mix. Mixture will become crumbly looking & a little dry. Add egg, egg yolk, yogurt/buttermilk, & vanilla. Beat until light & fluffy.
  4. Pour ⅓rd of mixture into greased 9x5" baking pan using a rubber spatula to smooth it out.
  5. Pour ⅓rd of batter into a small bowl and mix in 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Then pour into baking pan. Then cover with the last ⅓rd of batter. Take a butter knife and run it down the centerlength wise to add a swirl.
  6. Add crumb topping by using your fingers to break apart the crumbs & sprinkle them over the batter.
  7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Let cool for 30 minutes, remove from pan.

 

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins. What is the difference between chocolate chip muffins and cupcakes? I really don’t know so I didn’t know whether to call these muffins or cupcakes. They seem kind of interchangeable when it comes to chocolate chip but it seems muffin is the more classic term.

Recipe makes about 16 muffins. You can make a small batch of 8 muffins if you cut the recipe in half.

These muffins are soft, sweet, and filled with mini chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup soybean oil or vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips plus more for sprinkle tops
  • coarse sugar for sprinkling over top -optional-
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners or grease cupcake pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients together except chocolate chips. Mix for 1-2 minutes until everything is mixed up well.
  3. Hand stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Fill cupcake liners ⅔rd full.
  5. Sprinkle tops with extra chocolate chips and sugar if desired.
  6. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until done. Test by inserting a toothpick in center of a cupcake until it comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven & let cool in pan for a few minutes then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

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