Bakery Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins are tender, cakey bakery-style muffins with crackly, sugary crunchy muffin tops. Vanilla and almond extracts, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest make these the best lemon poppy seed muffins on the planet.

If you follow along here on the blog, you know I’ve had lemons on the brain for quite some time now. I just can’t help it. When spring and summer finally arrives, I want all things lemon! Last week it was Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes, and a few weeks before it was Lemon Cream Whipped Cream Filling. This week it’s all about these scrumptious Bakery Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins.

When I bite into one of these tender, delicious muffins, I’m taken back a decade or two to a lovely little muffin shop in Greenville, South Carolina where we used to live. The muffin shop on Augusta Road was called The Muffin Ma’am. Cutest name ever. Best muffins ever. The shop was nestled in an uppity little shopping plaza alongside a children’s toy store, The Elephant’s Trunk.

Nearby was an upscale children’s clothing boutique named The Grey Goose. I remember shopping in that little plaza with my girlfriends. It was mostly window shopping mind you, but in my book that counts. And then we’d stroll to The Muffin Ma’am for a hot cup and a top-notch muffin. It was an experience, and nearly impossible to step inside those magical doors and not break into a full-blown cheery “Do You know the Muffin Man” hum.

This simple recipe comes together easily in one bowl. Combine the dry ingredients and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining wet ingredients and mix by hand until just combined.

Pour into muffin tins. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes until muffin crowns are crackly and just turning golden.

When I was experimenting in the kitchen with this recipe, I was aiming for that tender, cakey muffin, with the crackly, rounded tops and sugary crunch I fondly remember at The Muffin Ma’am. These Bakery Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins with vanilla and almond extracts, also fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are just like those muffins…an experience.

The kind you bake easily on a lazy Saturday morning and savor with your favorite catalog and a hot cup. Hope you enjoy these scrumptious muffins!

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Bakery Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

Tender, bakery-style lemon poppy seed muffins with crunchy, sugary crackly tope. Made with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and almond extract.

Course muffin

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1 1/8 cups sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
• Optional: 2 tablespoons white sparkling sugar

Instructions

• Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in mixing bowl
• Mix well with fork.
• Stir in beaten egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract, almond extract, poppy seeds and lemon zest.
• Do not overmix.
• Distribute batter evenly into muffin tin.
• Optional: sprinkle muffin tops with white sparkling sugar.
• Bake at 325° for 30 - 35 minutes until muffin crowns are just turning golden and tops are crackly.

You may also like: Sweet Almond Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

The post Bakery Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread: moist, tender pumpkin bread, studded throughout with chocolate chips! Perfect sweet nibble with an afternoon cup of tea. This easy quick bread recipe makes two generous loaves, one for you, one for a friend!

I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t resist topping off this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread with a generous sprinkle of extra chocolate chips after baking. The chips got all melty and made a scrumptious chocolate “crust” on top!

Fall is finally arriving here in New Hampshire. The days have been warmer than usual, but the nights have been cool enough to coax out the bright colors. There’s nothing more beautiful to me in autumn than the vivid reflections in a still pond or lake. Like a painting.

The days have been full around here as I’m sure they have been at your house too! There’s always a bit of commotion at the beginning of the school year with a new schedule and various sports, classes and activities starting. Corn husks and mums flank my front door now, and pumpkins sit on the steps.

I mentioned in my last post that we were looking for a very special kind of dog for Hudson. (Hudson is our youngest with special needs.) The excellent news is, that after twenty-four years of being the solo girl in the house, I’m no longer alone! Wahoo. Her name is Chloe and she’s got four furry legs, an enormous pink tongue and chocolate brown cow eyes. Need I say more?

She’s a beautiful yellow lab we found at a nearby rescue. Finding Chloe was like finding a needle in a haystack. Most of the dog rescues have puppies, but we needed a very special CALM dog for Hudson. I researched the inventory of thirty different rescues before I found her. They say she’s five, but I think she’s probably older. And that’s ok.

She’s the sweetest, gentlest dog you can imagine. You may remember that Hudson is terrified of dogs. So the day he came home from school and discovered Chloe here, he hid in my office for most of the afternoon. But the wonderful thing is, that nearly a week in now, Hudson is acclimating amazingly well. Chloe has been so patient, wagging her tail at him hopefully from a distance.

In fact, I spied Hudson sneaking her a piece of his hamburger under the dinner table a few nights ago, followed by a little pat. So as you can imagine, there’s lots of promise for both Chloe and Hudson in this budding new relationship. (!) We are incredibly grateful things are going so well.

So my aunt and uncle dropped by as they were passing through town this past weekend, and I shared some of this scrumptious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread with them. My aunt’s eyes twinkled as she pulled out the harvest loaf with chocolate chips that she had baked for us! So funny, we’re definitely on the same page here.

Hers has chocolate chips and nuts, but the one I’m sharing today has just the chocolate chips FYI. I’m anxious to try hers, but since I’d already cut into mine, I popped hers in the freezer. So nice to have something delicious to look forward to, all tucked away. (Thanks Aunt J!)

Tips for Making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread:

• Don’t over mix! You won’t even need your electric mixer for this recipe.
• Add in a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if desired.
• Optional: Sprinkle on extra chocolate chips immediately after baking for a special treat.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups liquid coconut cooking oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 - 15 ounce can pumpkin
• 3 cups coconut sugar or white granulated sugar
• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• Optional: extra 1/2 cup chocolate chips for sprinkling on top after baking.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease and lightly flour (or line with parchment paper as I did) two, 9" by 5"metal loaf pans. Set aside.
• In large mixing bowl, whisk together 4 eggs and oil.
• Stir in sugar until well combined.
• Stir in canned pumpkin and water until thoroughly combined.
• Set aside.
• In small mixing bowl, stir together flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt.
• Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until just combined.
• Pour into the two 9" by 5" prepared loaf pans.
• Bake at 350° for an hour and fifteen minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
• Optional: sprinkle with extra chocolate chips immediately after removing from the oven.
• Let loaves cool for about thirty minutes before loosening edges with a sharp knife and removing from the pan.
• Enjoy this bread warm or cool completely before slicing.

You  may also enjoy: Lemon Poppy Seed Bread w/Almond Glaze

The post Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

Crispy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Chips Recipe: everything you need to know about making your own addictive cinnamon raisin bagel chips at home. Easy snack and the perfect yummy addition to breakfast or brunch.

Fall hasn’t officially arrived on the calendar yet. But unofficially? It’s here. So woo hoo. While I’m sad that summer slipped through my grasp, I love fall too. The crisp in the air, the changing leaves, pumpkin patches and the gratitude that comes with Thanksgiving.

This morning I changed out the front door summer wreath with Indian corn. Later this afternoon I’m dropping by the nursery for corn stalk bundles and mums. The change of season brings with it happy fall memories, especially about Thanksgiving.

For thirty-five years my family and extended East Coast family met in Virginia for a long weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. I remember the interminable car rides from Rhode Island to Delaware, crossing the George Washing Bridge enroute, then spending the night with our cousins.

We’d have a big breakfast together (always my Aunt Margie’s famous eggs) and caravan the last leg of the trip to Clifton to meet more aunts, uncles and cousins. (In later years we met in Warrenton.)

My Aunt Pinkie (of Aunt Pinkie’s Famous Fudgy Brownies fame) is the hostess with the mostess. Besides preparing an enormous bird and all the trimmings for THE feast, she made big breakfasts that wowed the crowd. Folks, we’re talking a forty plus crowd here.

She always included these scrumptious Crispy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Chips on the breakfast menu.

I saw cinnamon raisin bagels on sale at the grocery store the other day, and it’s funny how the memories just flooded back. Fun times around the table with my extended family.

We made great memories, and not surprisingly, many were made in the kitchen. Either preparing the food or cleaning up afterwards. Many hands made light work and there was a lot of joy and laughter.

I helped my Aunt Pinkie make these delicious bagel chips. They were always served alongside a spinach egg casserole with sausage and fresh fruit.

Other family members brought homemade coffeecakes and cider from home, and I often brought along this Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.

You’ll love this Crispy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Chips Recipe. They’re crunchy, perfect with breakfast and coffee. So easy to make, even the kids can help. Spreading butter and sprinkling cinnamon sugar are good jobs for them.

The key to fantastic, crisp bagel chips is slicing the bagels very thin! Watch closely after you pop them under the broiler. They cook fast — in just a couple minutes — you’ve got to pay close attention so they won’t burn. You got this!

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Crispy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Chips Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 1 pound bagel chips

Ingredients

• 6 cinnamon raisin bagels
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup cinnamon sugar

Instructions

• Slice bagels very thinly into strips.
• Spread each slice/piece with butter.
• Without overlapping, place on parchment lined baking sheet.
• Sprinkle thickly with cinnamon sugar.
• Place baking sheet on top oven rack on low broiler setting for 1-3 minutes.
• Watch very closely. These crisp up quickly and can burn easily.
• These bagel chips crisp up as they cool.
• Serve once cool or store in an airtight container for several days.

Notes

You'll bake several panfuls with the chips from six bagels!

You may also like: Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast

The post Crispy Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Chips Recipe appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

This Jordan Pond House Best Popover recipe is sure to be a hit at your house! These popovers are known regionally as the best popovers in all of New England. If you’ve never tried a popover before, you’re in for a real treat.

Jump to Recipe

What Are Popovers?

A popover is a light, fluffy muffin made from a thin eggy batter that rises to form a hollow shell when baked. That airy shell is typically served hot and slathered with butter and strawberry jam.

You can easily buy an expensive gourmet popover baking mix, but since there are only 5 ingredients — flour, milk, eggs, salt, and baking soda — why not make your own? The taste is just as delicious, and popovers are so easy to make.

The baking technique for making popovers is a crucial element to this recipe. There’s lots of beating with your electric hand mixer. And absolutely no opening the oven door and peeking! This could cause the popovers to deflate, similar to a soufflé. 

The Famous Jordan Pond House at Acadia National Park

If you’ve ever visited the Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, you likely know about the Jordan Pond House — a lovely tea house on Park Loop Road inside the park.

Jon and I visited Acadia National Park and The Jordan Pond House seven summers ago when we spent a romantic long weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine, celebrating our anniversary. We stayed at the Primrose Inn in Bar Harbor, which is a gorgeous 1878 Victorian-era bed & breakfast. Acadia National Park is a stunning park with beautiful trails, mountain vistas, and incredible views.

On our way home from the long weekend, we stopped at The Jordan Pond House for popovers and a glass of iced tea. They serve afternoon tea with popovers every day from 11:30-5:30. We heard about the popovers over the weekend. And after savoring one, we “popped” into the gift shop to buy a popover pan that included the famous Jordan Pond House “Best Popover Recipe.”

These popovers are known regionally as the best popovers in New England, and they’re not hard to make. Just follow the easy directions below from “The Story of Jordan Pond,” published by the Acadia Corporation.

Key Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make the best popovers ever at home! As far as dry ingredients go, you’ll need to sift together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda. For the wet ingredients, all you need is whole milk and room temperature eggs. That’s all!

How To Make the Best Homemade Popovers

These popovers take less than an hour to make, and only require 5 simple ingredients that you probably have in your pantry right now. So, get to baking!

1. In a large bowl, add the eggs and mix at a high speed until they are doubled in size, which should be around 2-3 minutes. You want to incorporate a lot of air into the eggs (especially the egg white) so that the batter is light and fluffy. Once the eggs are whipped, turn the speed down. Pour the milk in, and whisk until everything is fully incorporated.
2. Continue mixing, and add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda). Once everything is mixed well, but not overly so or to the point that the whipped eggs have deflated, add the remaining milk, and continue whisking for another minute.
3. Grease the muffin pan, and add it into the 425 degrees F oven to preheat for 5 minutes. While the pan is preheating, strain the batter to prevent lumps, and then divide the mixture equally into the muffin pan. 
4. Bake in the middle shelf for 15 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350 F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, then carefully remove from the muffin tin, and serve warm with softened butter and jam. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Popover pans can be substituted with a regular muffin pan, but there will be a slight difference in the height of the popovers since the muffin pan is shorter.
• Have your eggs sitting at room temperature for at least an hour before mixing the batter for best results.
• To get a smooth batter, sift the flour before mixing it into the eggs. And also, strain the batter before adding it to the muffin pans.
• Avoid opening the oven in the first 15 minutes so the popovers get the right form and texture.

What To Serve with Popovers

Popovers are traditionally served warm or hot with butter and strawberry jam. They can also be served savory with butter, sliced ham or turkey, or even taco filling. They can be served sweet with Nutella, chocolate ganache, sweet marscarpone, or pie filling.

More Baked Goods Recipes To Try

• Fresh Strawberry Crepes
• Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Birthday Cupcakes
• Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

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Jordan Pond House Best Popover Recipe

Best popover recipe in all of New England! Light and airy. Traditionally served hot with butter and jam.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Speck of baking soda

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°.
• Sift and measure flour, salt and soda. Set aside.
• Beat the eggs at high speed until lemon colored (2-3 minutes).
• On slowest speed, very slowly 1/2 cup of the milk. Beat until well mixed.
• Add slowly (with mixer going on slow speed) the dry ingredients.
• When mixed, stop beating.
• Scrape sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• Beat at medium speed and slowly add the remaining milk.
• Beat 2 minutes.
• Place well-greased muffin tin or popover pan into oven to warm up for five minutes.
• Turn mixer to high speed and beat 5-7 minutes.
• Batter should be smooth and about the thickness of heavy cream.
• Pour batter through a strainer, and into well-greased, preheated muffin tins or popover pan.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven at 425° for the first 15 minutes.
• Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350° and bake 15 - 20 minutes longer.
• Popovers are best served at once, but may be kept in the warm oven for up to five minutes.
• Serve immediately with butter and strawberry jam.

The post Jordan Pond House Best Popover Recipe appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

If you love fluffy homemade biscuits, then you’re going to love this recipe for Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits. Are they really a mile high? Well what do you think?

I’ve been called the queen of hyperbole before, and it just rolled right off. “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.” Ha. (It’s not true though is it. Names can hurt.)

So when I say these biscuits are a mile high, I may be exaggerating just a teensy tiny as the queen of hyperbole. But you’ll forgive me just this once, right? What I’m trying to say is, these are tall, light & fluffy biscuits worthy of your time and effort making them.

I don’t remember having homemade biscuits very often growing up. But later when we moved south, oh my. It was all about the biscuits! They really know how to make the biscuits down south. Steaming hot, flaky, slathered with melting butter or dripping honey. And my personal favorite: fresh strawberry jam!

Then we moved back north in 2004 and now I can’t even remember who the wonderful person was that introduced me to The Original Bakewell Cream. But they should get a gold medal or at least a blue ribbon. Because I started making the recipe for Bakewell Cream Biscuits on the back of the Bakewell cream tub and they’re the best biscuits ever! At least as good as those fabulous, flaky southern biscuits. Bakewell Cream is manufactured in Maine, quite near and dear to my heart as a New England girl. Bakewell Cream is actually a leavening agent that promises better baking, and you can buy it in many New England grocery stores or on-line here at King Arthur Flour. (If you can’t get your hands on Bakewell Cream, you may substitute 4 teaspoons of baking powder and omit the baking soda in this recipe.)

Today I’m sharing a slight variation of the biscuit recipe on the back of the tub of Bakewell Cream and calling them Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits. Even if they’re not really a mile high, I think you’ll still love ’em. I use buttermilk instead of milk. And butter instead of shortening.

I also use these Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits as the base for my Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake recipe.

Hope you love these easy, Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits!

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Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits

A light and fluffy biscuit that rises high.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons Bakewell Cream
• If you can't get your hands on Bakewell Cream, substitute 4 teaspoons of baking powder for the Bakewell Cream, then omit the baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
• extra buttermilk for brushing tops of biscuits

Instructions

• Mix and sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
• Add butter and mix with a pastry blender.
• Add buttermilk all at once and stir quickly with a fork.
• (You may need to add a little more buttermilk to make a nice soft dough.)
• Turn out on a floured board and knead 5 or 6 times.
• Roll or pat into a rectangle that is 3/4" thickness.
• Cut with biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet.
• Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk.
• Bake at 475° for 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and leave in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Notes

If you can't get your hands on Bakewell Cream, substitute 4 teaspoons of baking powder for the Bakewell Cream and omit the baking soda.

You may also like: Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

The post Mile High Buttermilk Biscuits appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.

As I write here at the kitchen counter, summer’s still in the air. But I’m told (and by reliable sources) that a cold snap is on its way. And fall will finally be making its long awaited appearance in New England this coming week. There are so many things to love about fall. The brisk in the air. Sweaters. Boots. Hats. My boys’ soccer games. That wood stove smoky in the air. The brilliant hues of changing autumn leaves.

All things pumpkin. (And apple too.)

Fall is a wonderful time to slow down on the weekend, catch a few extra winks. Have family brunch together. This recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast is quick and easy. This french toast pairs perfectly with bacon and poached pears. Or fried apples. Mmmm…scrumptious.

Extra delicious and easy, this recipe starts with slices of  Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread that soak up the pumpkin mixture beautifully!

Each bread slice is soaked first then cooked to perfection on a buttered skillet. Serve with butter and pure maple syrup.For an extra treat, serve with homemade Vanilla Bean Maple Syrup .

Some of you know Hudson, our youngest of four boys. (Hudson is five now, has Down syndrome.) He’s adorable, a very picky eater and a carboholic to boot. It’s really tough to get him to try anything new, especially if it’s not pure carbs. This Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast was a great way to sneak in protein and veggies! Hudson loved it, ate three pieces, then said, “More.” (We’re Still Working on Our Manners !)

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Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast

Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl bread dipped in pumpkin spice batter. Serve with butter and pure maple syrup. Welcome fall!

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Allie Taylor

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 24 slices Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Serve with butter and pure maple syrup

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, milk and brown sugar.
• Heat skillet on medium high.
• Grease with butter or oil.
• Soak slices of cinnamon swirl bread.
• Place on hot skillet and cook until golden on one side.
• Flip and cook the other side 'til golden.
• Serve immediately with butter and pure maple syrup.

Notes

This recipe easily halves or doubles depending on your needs.

This recipe makes a big batch – 24 slices of Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast. Our family of boys can eat all that, still ask for more. On the rare occasion we have leftovers, we freeze or refrigerate and pop ’em in the toaster on busy school mornings.

Another brunch recipe you may enjoy: Apple Puff

The post Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin French Toast appeared first on Through Her Looking Glass.