Banana Spice Muffins

1 spice cake mix
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl stir until well blended cream cheese, sugar and pecans. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl mix cake according to package. Add mashed bananas. Line muffins tins with paper liners. Fill muffin tins about 1/2 full. Spoon 1 tsp. of cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin. Bake 20 minutes.

This can be changed by changing the cake mix flavor. You can eliminate the banana but when using a spice cake mix, it tones down the spicy flavor some. You can change the filling from nuts to chopped raisins, cranberries, dried pineapple, etc. This makes a wonderfully moist muffin. It can even be made into cupcakes and iced if you want.

White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins

1 3/4 cups self rising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze
1/2 cup white chocolate chips melted
1 Tbl. evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl whisk egg, milk and butter. Stir in flour just until moistened. Fold in chips and nuts. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan. For glaze , in a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chips with evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm muffins. Makes 12 muffins.

Changes - You can use milk chocolate chips instead of white and you can use pecans or walnuts instead of the macadamia. You can also use 3/4 cup of blueberries in place of the chips. This is actually a basic recipe for making simple muffins so just get creative.

Applesauce Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Tbl. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. soda
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Mix soda with applesauce. Add nuts and raisins to applesauce. Blend all ingredients together. Fill muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray 2/3 full. Bake 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

Changes - Not many, these are great just as they are, but you could add some coconut or instead of using applesauce use very well drained crushed pineapple.

Applesauce Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Tbl. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. soda
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together flour, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Mix soda with applesauce. Add nuts and raisins to applesauce. Blend all ingredients together. Fill muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray 2/3 full. Bake 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

Changes - Not many, these are great just as they are, but you could add some coconut or instead of using applesauce use very well drained crushed pineapple.