I never thought cake pops were that interesting of an idea until I saw a video on how to make a polk-a-dot cake- then happen to see a cake pop baker at Goodwill half price for $1.99 the next day. I thought "hey, it might be fun for special occasions." I picked it up and went home and baked a polka dot cake (which is totally cute by the way) but the real shocker was how much my family loved the leftover little balls of cake. They are bite size and they didn't even need frosting ("My family needs more sugar (in the form of frosting) in their diet" said no one ever.) They bake so fast and the baker is non-stick so easy to use and to clean, I just love it.
Not sure if it came to me in a dream or if I was just hungry for muffins but I woke up thinking about making little muffins balls this morning. Perfect homemade option to those expensive and chemical/preservative filled sugary muffins that come in single serve packages that my kids always beg for at the grocery store. I had to try it out right away, and it worked! I was concerned that the muffins wouldn't raise high enough to completely fill the little orb but they did, it was a success. I'll walk you through it and share my recipe for blueberry muffins.
Blueberry Muffins
-1 cup blueberries, clean and dry
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-2 eggs
-3 T. butter
-1 1/2 T. cream cheese
-1/2 cup milk
-1 t. lemon juice
Not sure if it came to me in a dream or if I was just hungry for muffins but I woke up thinking about making little muffins balls this morning. Perfect homemade option to those expensive and chemical/preservative filled sugary muffins that come in single serve packages that my kids always beg for at the grocery store. I had to try it out right away, and it worked! I was concerned that the muffins wouldn't raise high enough to completely fill the little orb but they did, it was a success. I'll walk you through it and share my recipe for blueberry muffins.
Blueberry Muffins
-1 cup blueberries, clean and dry
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-2 eggs
-3 T. butter
-1 1/2 T. cream cheese
-1/2 cup milk
-1 t. lemon juice
Mix all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.) Set aside.
Melt butter and cream cheese for about 30 second in the microwave and then use a mixer to blend them together.
Add the milk, lemon juice and eggs, mix together.
Add the blueberries to the flour mixture and gently fold in.
Pour milk and egg mixture into flour and berry mixture and gently fold until mixed. If you are overly aggressive with your stirring the berries will pop and the batter will turn purple, but don't worry if it happens, they taste just as good!
This is the little cake pop baker that I found, I have seen these for sale in many dept. and thrift stores. They also make special pans for the oven if you prefer.
I filled each hole with a heaping teaspoon of this thickened batter. (make sure if you are using a thinner batter you don't overfill or you will have a mess!)
By the time we got to the last batch my daughter and I figured out that a piping bag with a large nozzle would work wonders and be so much easier- and it worked! Wish I had figured it out sooner, but I am just glad I figured it out for next time. Each batch only takes about 5 minutes to bake so it doesn't take very long, however, take note that I didn't follow the timing light since these are a little denser than cake and took a little longer to bake. If the tops are brown and they spring back, they are probably done. Test one, and if not, cook the next batch a little longer.
The finished product. Aren't they cute? My kids just love them.
I am thinking of looking for some wax paper bags because I hate the idea of wasting so much plastic, but this will do for now. Those shorter snack sized bags would also work. Just as easy to grab as store bought, and freezable too.
This recipe made 10 bags of 5, minus the few my husband grabbed as he walked through the kitchen. So much healthier and less expensive than store bought (not to mention fun to make!)
*this recipe works great as muffins too. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
*this recipe works great as muffins too. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.