Stand Mixer

This tasty quick bread is a great way to sneak vegetables into your kid’s diet. When you combine chocolate and zucchini, the zucchini disappears. I tell my veggie-phobic son Lennon he’s eating chocolate cake and he’s none the wiser! He thinks he’s really lucky to get chocolate cake for breakfast.

With rich, tempting spices and a lovely autumnal hue, this bread is perfect during the harvest season.

This rustic free-form tart is great with raspberries, but you can just as easily substitute blueberries or blackberries. The cornmeal gives the crust a slightly crunchy texture, which complements the berries beautifully.

Buckwheat is such a great old-world flour. Its distinctive, slightly sweet, earthy flavor pairs extremely well with tart apple.

Buckles differ from crumbles and crisps in that the fruit is interwoven with cake batter, then topped with a crumb topping. This dessert is a favorite of my son Monte’s. He loves it for its funny-sounding name and its supreme yumminess. The top should have a buckled or crumpled appearance.

These tasty, not-too-sweet muffins are packed with protein-rich quinoa and plenty of antioxidant-rich fruit. Add a glass of calcium-enriched OJ or rice milk, and you have a complete breakfast.

Millet adds nice texture to this traditional favorite. Blueberry muffins are always a crowd pleaser. Bake up a big batch, store them in the freezer, and you’ll always have breakfast on hand.

My son Monte and I both love fresh apricots. Living in Southern California, we’re lucky to get them in abundance. I created this recipe for him. He loves the subtly sweet cornmeal muffin punctuated by bites of tart apricot. (Okay, I admit I’m paraphrasing—he is only five.)

These taste fancy but are very easy to make. Perfect for a weekend brunch! I like making them in early summer during plum season. They are delicate and pretty.

Orange and cranberries are a perfect pairing. Transport yourself to a New England bed and breakfast with these sweet and tart little gems.

These muffins are scrumptious and chock-full of beta-carotene, phytonutrients, protein, and fiber, with no refined sugar. What better way to start your day than with a Morning Glory Muffin?

Making meringues is a bit of an acquired skill and it can take some practice to master the technique (see pages 12–13); however, the impressive results of this super-fluffy topping are worth every ounce of effort. Once you get it right, it’s very simple to make.

Gingerbread muffins are perfect for a decadent holiday breakfast or a healthy snack all year round. These muffins get extremely hot during baking, so it’s best to let some of the steam escape before eating them. They’re moist, like banana bread or cake, and are best once they’ve cooled and set a bit. (You don’t have to wait, but they do reach peak yumminess after resting for 30 minutes.)

These hearty muffins are tasty and energy packed. I find they’re a particular favorite with the toddler set.

Whether smothering my Red Velvet Cupcakes (page 28) or topping Zucchini Cupcakes (page 61), this simple, tangy, and rich frosting is a classic with true versatility.

This fruity orange frosting makes a deliciously decorative topping for Halloween Cupcakes (page 81) and other festive treats. Change it up and make your own lemon cream cheese frosting by substituting lemon zest for the orange zest and eliminating the food coloring.

My older son created this recipe, which is incredible over Chocolate Banana Cupcakes (page 37). After he made a test batch, I asked him if it needed more bananas. His reply? “There’s at least one little bit of banana in every bite.”

From the beloved Greek pairing of spinach and feta comes this tantalizing combination of flavors. For a fast, elegant appetizer, whip up a batch of these as mini muffins—skip the paper liners, copiously grease the pan with oil, scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into each cup, and bake at 400°F for 6 to 8 minutes, then let them cool while you are mixing drinks. The yield is approximately 40 mini muffins.

Celebrate the Fourth of July in healthy style with this very berrybedecked vanilla cupcake. Berries will be in their prime for this gorgeous, patriotic dessert.

Much more wholesome than the usual Halloween candy, these cupcakes will captivate your little ghosts and goblins.