What better way to ring in the new year, dear readers, than to share one of my very favorite family traditions with you. Every Christmas, Nanny makes her famous tarts! They are really a unique little treat: flaky pastry filled with jam and topped with buttery yellow cake. We usually serve them along side our usual pies for dessert at our big Christmas dinner. But they are also excellent with a cup of coffee for breakfast, or – my personal favorite – in the afternoon with a cup of Earl Grey tea!

As much as I love gingerbread cookies, I have to admit that I like actual gingerbread even more. I used to use a wonderful old recipe from Nathalie Dupree to make pans of gingerbread in the fall. Based on that recipe, I developed a perfect muffin that features all the richness and flavor of a classic old-fashioned gingerbread.

Don’t you love that blueberry running down
my oh-so retro-foil muffin liner?
Try not to drool on your keyboard, kay?

These perfect little guys are the best for popping into your mouth as you run out the door in the morning. Hot out of the oven, they fill the house with an unbelievably comforting scent of apples, spices, and homey goodness. Their edges are ever so slightly crispy, their centers are as moist and light as a cloud. You are going to be surprised by how many you can eat!

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Here is a fun mini-muffin recipe that I made with some more ripe bananas I wanted to use up. It is based on my Banana Cake recipe, but I’ve added nuts and spices to make a tender, hearty, cozy morning treat.

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These muffins are chock-full of some of my favorite ingredients. I combined about 5 recipes to come up with this one so that I could get all of my favorite things in one healthy muffin! Crispy on top, fluffy in the middle, and full of delicious flavor. You will never be able to tell that these are low in fat and high in fiber!

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This is a hearty, lightly sweet muffin that is packed with flavor and goodness! Nothing beats the crispy tops and the moist insides, studded with bursts of sweet raisins. You can mix them up the night before, put the batter in the fridge, and bake them up fresh in the morning. They also freeze well. They are wonderful with a thin pad of butter and a drizzle of honey, too.

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