Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Ingredients
Muffin Batter:

• 2/3 Cup butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1  3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1  1/2 teaspoons Rodelle Vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/4 cups milk

Filling: 

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Set out butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Line muffin cups with paper bake cups.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a small bowl stir together brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt

In a large mixing cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for one minute. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add in granulated sugar until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in flour mixture, vanilla, cinnamon and milk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined (batter may look lumpy).

Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar mixture over batter in cups. Spoon remaining batter evenly over brown sugar mixture in cups. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over batter in cups.

Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.
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Yield:  24 (2-1/2 inch) cupcakes.

     You know what's nice? this recipe is easy! As easy as candy making gets!  All you need is some Vanilla Almond Bark from the baking aisle of your local grocery store (it comes in a 24oz brick of large cubes) it also comes in Chocolate (as in looks and tastes like milk chocolate) and the Vanilla looks and tastes like white chocolate.  Bark doesn't use cocoa butter as chocolate does, Barks use vegetable fats.  Barks are right up there with 'Candy Melts' in the workability of the product once melted.
     I prefer microwaving the Bark. Follow the directions on the package but, basically you melt for 1 minute at high, stir and then heat in 12 second intervals, stirring in-between until completely melted. Melting is usually 2 minutes total cooking time. 
     You can also add colorings and flavorings.  You cannot (must not) use water based liquids or the Bark chocolate will seize.  Oil based food colorings are best for this application.  Wilton "Candy Colors Food Colorings" work great for candy making!  When making a batch of Vanilla, white chocolate almond bark for this recipe today, I added in some peppermint white chocolate chips I had on hand - and then added some on top along with green sprinkles for the Christmas Holiday.  Again, you don't want to flavor or color with any non-oil based product or the candy will seize.  Enjoy! Diane 

Almond Bark Candy
Ingredients: 

1/2 pound whole almonds
6 bricks/cubes of Vanilla Bark (12 oz. white almond bark) 
Sprinkles of your choice 

Directions: 
    Toast your almonds in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes. Toasting deepens the flavor of the nuts and a step that shouldn't be skipped. Let the almonds cool while you prepare/melt the bark.  Once the bark is melted, stir in three-fourths of your toasted almonds and any oil based food colorings you prefer. (optional)  Pour the mixture out onto an 8x8 or 9x12 baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle top of bark with remaining almonds and any decorations you prefer. Press the almonds down slightly so they set into the bark and won't pop off easily.   Let the entire mixture cool on your counter for 20 minutes and then place in refrigerator for a half hour.  Once fully cooled and solidified, break the bark into chunks as you prefer, I break into larger pieces first and then break those in half. 

(Almond Bark typically comes in 12 segmented bricks 
per 24 ounce bag)  

My Holiday White & Peppermint Almond Bark pictured below: 

    I haven't met a soup I didn't like - when the weather turns colder we tend to eat more hot, hearty soups.  Summer seems a distant memory when the smells of a hearty soup is simmering in the house.  Pull up a chair, grab a spoon and dig in! Enjoy! Diane 

​Creamy Potato Chowder *with Bacon
Makes approx. 3 quarts
Ingredients:
4 Cups Chicken Broth
4 Cups diced/cubes red potatoes, skin optional
6 slices cooked Bacon, thick cut
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Pour broth into a large skillet over the onions, celery and potatoes and cook over medium heat until tender. (approx. 10 mins once to a medium boil)
• Meanwhile, warm your cream/milk and set aside.
• In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat - whisk in the flour until smooth ((make sure the flour and butter starts to cook and smell "nutty" or your soup will taste like flour paste))
• Whisk in warmed milk/cream (I microwave milk/cream for 45 seconds to get the chill off) and stir into butter/flour constantly until thick and smooth.
• Stir the milk mixture into the vegetables and broth. Heat through, but do not boil. Stir in cooked bacon.
• Season with salt, garlic salt and pepper

     This dish is easy to make and stands great as part of a dinner (think soup and sandwiches) or a party appetizer.  I like to make my own Hawaiian dinner rolls and use those but, store bought is just as great!  I prefer to make the "mustard topping" in the morning, pour over the assembled complete dish - then bake off in time for dinner.
Enjoy! Diane

Link to the Homemade Hawaiian Rolls below. 

Hot Ham & Cheese Sliders

Ingredients:
12 Hawaiian style rolls (cut in half crosswise, do not separate the rolls)
3/4 pound deli ham (thinly sliced)
1/4 pound Swiss cheese (sliced)
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese (sliced) 
6 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 ½ teaspoons onion (dried, minced)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; cook and stir onion until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add mustard, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
3. Arrange the bottoms from each roll in the prepared baking dish. Spoon 2/3 the onion mixture over the roll bottoms. Add ham and Swiss cheese to each roll. Put tops of rolls over the Swiss cheese layer. Brush the remaining 1/3 onion mixture over tops of rolls. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake until tops of rolls are lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

This recipe makes 12 sliders and most people eat 2. 
You can cut this recipe in half and use an 8x8 baking dish and 6 buns. 
  
Hawaiian Dinner Rolls Recipe - CLICK HERE