Bonus Issue: 20 Brunch Recipes
For Mother's Day weekend, or any other weekend
Friends, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Meghan Yager, my co-conspirator in bringing you the most delicious Mother’s Day brunch fare we could scrounge up from the many hundreds of favorite recipes in our archives.
Meghan is the author of The Slice, a Substack newsletter that you should subscribe to this very minute if you haven’t already. She also publishes Cake~n~Knife, a recipe website that’s jam packed with uncomplicated seasonal recipes designed for those of us who love nothing more than gathering our favorite people around a table filled with really good food.
Here's where you can read more about Meghan, but there are a couple of things I think you should know about this self-described food addict turned recipe developer, food photographer, and writer:
She minored in creative writing in college. This is not a surprise to anyone who has read anything she’s ever written. A friend coerced her into using those mad writing skills to start a blog and this is why we need good friends in our life.
She grew up in a family where big family meals were an important part of normal life. The memories of those meals are a huge influence on her work. Her recipes remind us that cooking matters and mealtimes are a priceless part of family life and worthy of our time, energy, and resources.
Meghan and her husband of 6 years live in Denver with their 3 year old son and their two dogs. She is deep in the weeds of those busy, sleepless baby-toddler years and, honestly, kicking ass.
She shares my cookbook obsession and because she lives in a house and not an RV, she has space for hundreds of them and if I sound bitter about that it’s because I am. (Of the cookbooks, not the house. And also maybe we should be pulling a trailer behind our 43 foot 5th wheel just so I can have a library like Meghan’s???)
She is music obsessed and pretty much always has something playing, especially when she’s cooking. Her heart belongs to Indi-rock and music from the 50’s and 60’s - what I like to call actual oldies because I will never not be appalled by the fact that the music of my childhood is also now categorized as oldies.
From our families to yours, we wish you a weekend filled with your favorite foods and your favorite people, and plenty of time to celebrate the women in your life who keep the world spinning – and if you are one of them, don’t forget that means YOU.
In my mind, this means a leisurely brunch with all my favorite foods and bottomless mimosas. If that also sounds like the perfect way to start your day, these recipes are for you.
20 Mother’s Day (or any day) Brunch Recipes
#1. Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
These buttery muffins have all the flavor of classic red velvet cake but their crumb topping and custardy cream cheese filling place them firmly in the category of breakfast pastry. And oh, what a delicious way to start the day.
Moist and fluffy Banana Bread Muffins are the best way to start the day! This tried and true recipe has the best texture and such delicious flavor. With a subtle scent of cinnamon, these muffins are quick and easy to make.
What’s a Mother’s Day brunch without something bright and berry filled? These delicate raspberry muffins are soft, buttery, and packed with raspberries. The melt-in-your mouth crumb topping is a perfect match for all those delicate, sweet berries. These can be made with fresh or frozen raspberries and are easy to make in advance.
#4. Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole is an overnight must-have for busy weekdays or weekend brunch when you know you won’t want to spend the morning cooking. The sweet spiced custard with a crispy topping and creamy pockets of sweetened cream cheese make this a feast to remember.
In this buttermilk coffee cake, the streusel takes a topsy-turvy twist and gets baked on the bottom into a delightfully chewy yet tender crust. Coffee cake with a crust? Yes please and thank you, and serve your mom another slice.
#6. Blueberry Lemon Streusel Coffee Cake
Blueberry Lemon Streusel Coffee Cake is moist, fluffy, and ideal for spring brunch! Topped with a cinnamon streusel and a lemon cream cheese glaze, this decadent breakfast cake is a surefire win for everyone.
This is practically guaranteed to become a Mother’s Day favorite, even though there’s nothing very cakey about this cake. The texture is a delicious cross between apple pie and tart tatin. And the crumb topping is soft, buttery, and as thick as the cake itself.
#8. Breakfast Croissant Sandwich
A Breakfast Croissant Sandwich brings a ton of flavor to a tasty handheld way to start the day! It’s packed with prosciutto, cheese, fig jam and mustard. Simple and ready in less than 20 minutes.
#9. Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins with Maple Tahini Glaze
These are the kind of generously proportioned, dreamy, creamy, banana chocolate muffins that every chocolate lover wants to see in a brunch spread. They also happen to be vegan, and therefore egg and dairy free.
This is of course, essential for vegans and those with dairy and egg allergies. But, as luck would have it, their vegan-ness is a delightful bonus feature for the rest of us because they are so moist and creamy you're likely to forget there isn't actual cream in there.
Everyone will jump out of bed for a fresh batch of Easy Lemon Sugar Buns! With the bright burst of lemon zest rolled up inside, these sugar-coated treats are ideal for spring. Pair with coffee or your favorite mimosa!
#11. Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake with Vanilla Icing
This moist and tender vanilla loaf cake dripping in vanilla icing includes thick, gooey ribbons of cinnamon and sugar swirled into every delicious slice. The cake can be made several days in advance so you might want to go ahead and make two – one to dive into immediately and the other for your Mother’s Day brunch.
#12. Nutella Rhubarb Puff Pastry Croissants
Nutella Rhubarb Puff Pastry Croissants are the easiest way to get your pastry fix at home! Fresh, vibrant rhubarb puree and Nutella fill these flaky pastries made out of frozen puff pastry. Grab a couple with your morning coffee to start the day off with a burst of fruity, chocolatey goodness!
#13. Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
If Mother’s Day isn’t the perfect day for cinnamon rolls, I don’t know what is. These tender homemade rolls include mandatory gooey swirls of cinnamon sugar and a thick slather of vanilla cream cheese icing, but it’s the overnight rise that make them such an easy morning treat.
Prepare them the day before, let them rise in the refrigerator overnight, then simply pop them in the oven to bake in the morning.
Fluffy bakery style Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are full of fresh citrus flavor. They are slightly crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, and topped with a sweet, lemony glaze. Ready in just 30 minutes, you don’t even need a mixer to make them!
#15. Breakfast Potstickers with Hollandaise Sauce
These tasty little potstickers contain all the flavor of eggs Benedict tucked into a little 2-bite package. The dumplings are filled with eggs, cream cheese, asparagus, and prosciutto then smothered in an easy-to-make Hollandaise sauce. In the unlikely event that you have some left over, they reheat well in the microwave and make a delicious protein-packed afternoon snack.
If you love Nutella, these flaky Nutella puff pastry pies are for you. Packed with hazelnut-chocolate goodness, they are perfect for any level of baker. All you need is a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes until you have a warm pastry in your hands.
#17. Crispy Fried Potatoes {Country Potatoes}
The secret to country potatoes that are crispy on the outside, and soft and creamy on the inside is to briefly boil them in salt water before frying them in butter and oil. This simple technique results in the most delicious potatoes that are soft and creamy on the inside, and golden and crispy on the outside.
These potatoes are essential brunch fare and will compliment whatever else you have on your Mother’s Day menu.
#18. Turkish Eggs Platter
This Turkish Eggs Platter, also known as Çılbır, is a simple hearty meal that features beautifully poached eggs with a base of garlic yogurt and a drizzle of chile butter. With a fresh sprinkle of dill, serve with plenty of toasted bread.
#19. Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
These buttery homemade buttermilk biscuits are soft on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside, and rise to impressive heights with layer after delicious layer. They are perfect for biscuits and gravy or served with any egg dish, especially when smothered with honey, jam, or lemon curd.
#20. Easy Lemon Curd
This creamy homemade lemon curd recipe is a burst of tangy flavor for your desserts or breakfast! With just a few simple ingredients, you can make the perfect lemon curd every time with this recipe.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone. May we all have a relaxing weekend with people we love, no drama, and our favorite things.
Wow! These all look so good! Especially the cinnamon bun deliciousness. 😍