Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

I wanted to go out for brunch today but my hubby wanted us to go to a movie so we decided to eat somewhere close to the movie theatre. I opted, at the last minute this morning, to try a quick and easy recipe that I have been looking at for about 2 weeks now. It's quick in that you use a baking mix instead of complete "from scratch". I did find a "from scratch" recipe that I will try very soon, especially after trying these quick ones and loving them.
There are also recipes out there to replace the purchased baking mix, but until I use up my bought mix and try it out, I won't be posting it.
Ok, back to these cute, tasty and light mini pancakes. Love them. They took NO time to put together and baked up in 10 minutes. I will definitely keep these in mind the next time I don't know what to make the kids for lunch. The super fun part is dipping your mini pancake muffins into your bowl of pure maple syrup. We all enjoyed that LOL.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins
source: www.kirbiecravings.com

Ingredients
1 cup of baking mix (I use Bisquick)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (approx. I just sprinkled some on. A little goes a long way)

Grease a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. I used 1 pan with 24 mini slots. Preheat your oven to 350F.
In a bowl, combine the baking mix, egg and milk. Don't over mix, it should still have some lumps in it.
Pour the batter into the muffin tin, approx 2/3 full. Drop a few mini chocolate chips on each pancake muffin.
Bake for 10-14 mins or until a tester comes out clean.
Don't judge by the colour as the tops of the pancake muffins will be pale.

The mix made 23 mini pancake muffins for me. I'm sure I could have managed 24.
Next time, I will try a similar recipe totally from scratch. Can't wait!!

Happy baking!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups

These days, I'm seeing so many recipes to make in muffin tins. And they all look wonderful! I can't wait to try them as the days go on. I started with a very simple and straight forward cup recipe. I love big breakfasts but hate that the person doing the cooking is usually the last to eat while everyone else is done. So, I have been trying to find different ways to beat this as I love sitting together as a family to eat our meals. Some tips that I've come to use to help with this: cook the bacon in the oven leaving stove top space, when cooking pancakes or French toast - I keep them warm in a low heat oven and serve all at the same time and have a great partner to help in the kitchen :)
And of course, cooking your eggs in a muffin tin is another. You can do almost anything with this recipe and change it however you like. I have frozen these (my Dad LOVED them) and I also keep them in the fridge for the week for a quick and hearty breakfast for my hubby. You can also put one of the egg cups between a toasted English muffin for one of those famous breakfast sandwiches. Very tasty!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups
source: not really one recipe as it is all over the internet!

Ingredients
6 eggs
6 slices deli ham
shredded cheese
(options include: chopped peppers, chopped mushrooms, all sorts of cheeses, salsa, hot sauce and the list goes on!)

   Preheat your oven to 350F. Spray your muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Line each cup with a slice of ham. Once that's done, crack an egg into each cup. Use a fork to break the yolk. You don't want to try and whisk it with the fork as it will make a nice mess. Trust me LOL. Sprinkle the top of each cup with some cheese. How much is really up to you. And that's it!! Pop the muffin tin into the pre-heated oven and set your timer for 20 minutes. Now you have time to make the toast or prepare an English muffin for a great breakfast sandwich.

Happy cooking!