Panera Black Cherry Smoothie Copycat Recipe

Submitted by Tiffany Gallehugh

1/2 cup to 1 cup red cherries, with the pits removed
A handful of blackberries
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 to 2 cups crushed ice
splash of milk* (as desired)

Blend everything until smooth. Enjoy!

*DaNae's Note: Thank you for submitting this yummy smoothie recipe!

A couple of smoothie tips...

#1 - For those who don't like chewing on the blackberry seeds, try blending them with the yogurt for 30 seconds prior to adding the rest of the ingredients. The smoothie will still contain seeds, but many of the seeds will have been pulverized.

#2 - For people who can't have dairy, try using the alternative yogurts. There are many delicious non-dairy yogurts available now. My favorite is the almond yogurt and the coconut yogurt. Then for the "splash of milk" try using the alternative milks as well.

Amazing Pumpkin Muffins

Submitted by Jessica Guinan

3 1/3c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
3c sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2c pumpkin (or 1 15oz can will do)

Preheat oven to 350. Sift or whisk together dry ingerdients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Mix until just combined and place in prepared muffin tins. Bake 20-30 minutes. This time, the recipe yielded 31 muffins but a lot of mine were filled almost to the top. You could probably get close to 40 by filling them a little more than half. :)

Favorite Vanilla Muffins

Submitted by Jessica Guinan
From Carole Walter's book Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

1 1/2 cups flour, spooned in & leveled off
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly firm
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
3-4 tsp sparkling sugar (I used sanding sugar from Williams Sonoma)

Heat the oven to 375 and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Cut the butter into 1" pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the vanilla & mix on medium speed until smooth & lightened in color, about 1 minute. (Have faith! I didn't think this would work at first either! Never doubt Carole...) Add the granulated sugar in 4 additions and mix for 1 minute longer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, and mix for another minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low & add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, dividing the dry ingredients into 2 parts, starting & ending with the flour. Mix just until blended after each addition. Portion the batter into the pan using approximately 1/4 c. mix per cup. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1/4 tsp of the sparkling sugar. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops are springy to the touch. To ensure even baking, halfway through, rotate the pans front to back.

Joy of Cooking Pancakes

Submitted by Lisa Mariani Hackney

pancakes joy of cooking 75th anniversary edition pg 644

whisk together in large bowl

1 1/2 c of all purpose flour
3 tbsp of suger
1 3/4 tspbaking powder
1 tsp salt ( I omit)

Combine in another large bowl (I use my lg Pampered Chef measuring cup)

1 1/2 c of milk
3 tbsp melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional but I use it)

mix the liquid and dry ingriediants quickly together and cook.


I usually make some just plain and some with a few chocolate chips sprinkled in. The best time to do the chocolate chips is just after you put it on your pan or griddle.

Classic Bran Muffins

Submitted by Jessica Guinan
From Allrecipes

1 1/2 c. wheat bran
1 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. canola oil
1 egg
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tins. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk and let stand for 10 minutes. Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into tins. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Star Wars Pancakes

Submitted by Jessica Guinan
From Williams-Sonoma's Star Wars pancake molds

2 eggs
2 c. flour, sifted
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c. buttermilk
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat the eggs on medium speed until frothy. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Stir just until batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Do not overmix. Bake as usual.

Sugar & Spice Muffins

Submitted by Jessica Guinan

1 3/4c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
Coating: 1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Stir until just combined. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Before serving, melt butter for coating and brush on top of muffin. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.