Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cups

Last week I was missing in action, mostly the result of some nasty allergy experiences. When I have a bad one it usually sets me back for a few days or up to a week, and instead of playing catch up I decided to let things go. You were fine, right? Of course you were.

Anyway, moving on!


Being diagnosed as allergic to wheat, corn, soy, and rice really limited the snacks I could eat, and sometimes a girl just needs something, you know? Enter these oatmeal cups. Not really a true muffin, they kind of are like a cross between a granola bar and a muffin - a little more toothsome and more texture than a muffin, but not as chewy as a granola bar. I tuck them into my bag for a snack when I need a pick me up, and both my guys kept raiding the freezer and eating my stash as soon as they discovered how good they were. I eat them after the gym, as a grab and go breakfast with some sausage patties, or will likely tuck them into my bag once school starts as a midday pick me up. 

Don't get scared when you make these. They look totally impossible, like there's too much liquid and there's no possible way that they will turn out, but they always do. You can sprinkle the tops with some mini chocolate chips if you like, or leave them plain.

Yield:12-15

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats-not quick or minute oats  (Only Oats if you are gluten free)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (wheat or corn free if you need)
2 mashed ripe bananas
2 Tbsp light tasting olive oil
1 tsp vanilla (optional: skip if you are corn free)
2 cups of 2% or whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Prep your muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder.

3. In a different bowl or large measuring cup (I like to use a big 4 cup Pyrex one), whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, milk and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana.

4. Pour the works into the bowl of oatmeal and give it a good stir. It's going to be weird and liquidy.

5. Divide the mixture among the muffins cups. I use my cookie scoop to make it easier, so an ice cream scoop would likely help. The mixture should fill about 15 of them or so. You want to make sure that they have lots of oats along with liquid, because the oats will suck up the liquid and become soft.


6. Sprinkle the tops with mini chocolate chips if you like,  and bake 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and set. Let the cups cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and cooling completely on a wire rack.

7. Once they are fully cooled, you can freeze them in a sealable freezer bag for about a month and pop into lunch bags or defrost in the microwave as needed.








Adapted slightly from The Merchant Baker

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Cinnamon Loaf

I think I have a problem. You see, I am somewhat of a recipe hoarder.

They are everywhere. Scribbled on scrap pieces of paper, neatly printed out and filed in binders, ripped out of magazines and stuffed in a drawer in the kitchen, falling out of my giant calendar, in my purse or school bag, lunch bag, car, written on napkins, they are EVERYWHERE.

Whether I saw it at the doctor's office, in the staff room at work, nabbed it from a co-worker or created it on my own, my world is full of paper-and food. Sometimes I keep them for years and eventually make them, other times I reconsider. Sometimes I look at them and think, "What on EARTH was I thinking? This is craziness!"

This is one of those recipes. Since I almost never buy sour cream, it's been one that I've held onto forever, but never got around to making. I'm not even sure of the source anymore. All I know is that I've had it for probably at least 6 years, hiding in a drawer, until the other day when I decided to just make it. Warm, a little tangy from the sour cream, with sweet cinnamon and brown sugar in the middle, I can't believe that I didn't make it sooner. This post was supposed to come with a photo, but silly me-I allowed my family to go ahead and dig in before I snapped one, and there's nothing left. Add in a busy week, a bit scattered brain, and an auto publish button, and here you go. Trust me, it's tasty. So much so that when I make this again, I'll get a photo. Promise!

Any tips on how I can tame my recipe paper mess? Oy. I'm open to any suggestions.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup light sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt

Filling:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F and lightly butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Scrape down the bowl and add in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, beating until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold into wet ingredients until combined.

Spread half of the batter into the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over top, then spread the other half of the batter on top.  Smooth the top and then bake in the center of the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool before slicing. Wrap in cling film and store at room temperature for 2 days, or slice and freeze for a few weeks. If you slice it before you freeze it, the loaf is much easier to then pull off a slice and tuck it, frozen, into a lunchbox.

Makes 1 loaf

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Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Years ago, when I worked for Starbucks as a barista, John used to come in every day and order a piece of chocolate zucchini bread. We had it trucked in along with all the other baked goods at around 5 am from a local bakery, and it sold out usually by noon. I used to hide a piece just for John when he came in, until a snarky co-worker noticed and reported me to the manager, so I promptly got in trouble.

Now I just bake my own in muffin form and it's all good. These muffins are dark and rich with cocoa, studded with chocolate chips, and we can make the claim that they are healthy because they have zucchini in them, right? If I had to be really honest with you, this is the only way I like my zucchini. Proves that you can douse almost anything in chocolate and I'll still eat it. I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but if I find it I'll let you know. In the meantime, these are really great in a lunchbox. Trust me on that one.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup grated zucchini

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F and line the cups of a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt together with a fork. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, oil , eggs, and milk. Whisk. Stir the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips and the zucchini. Fill lined muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins

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Peach Ginger Muffins

 Although summer is over, I'm still finding peaches in the store and couldn't resist these tasty looking muffins.  Bits of spicy ginger, oat and whole wheat flour to make them healthy, and sour cream make these really tasty-but not overly sweet morsels.  I like them for breakfast with some yogurt.

 The recipe called for oat flour, which I didn't have on hand. You can, however, just put some rolled oats into your food processor and whiz them until fine. Also, make sure the peaches are on the firm side, or they will break apart in the pan.

Adapted from Good to the Grain

1 cup of oat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt 85 g butter (melted and cooled)
 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 tbsp crystallized ginger

Topping: 1 large peach, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp freshly grated ginger


First, make the topping:  In a saucepan over low heat, stir together the unsalted butter, honey, and ginger. When it's warm and melted together, toss with the peach slices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, sour cream, egg, and gingers. Stir the wet ingredients in the dry, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don't over mix! Spoon batter into greased muffin tins (or lined, I like Paper Chef parchment cups) and lay the peach slices over top, pressing them into the batter. Spoon some of the ginger butter over each muffin as well.

Bake the muffins for about 25-28 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, take them out of the muffin cups to cool so they stay crusty. These were good for about two days, and then the tops began to go a little mushy. Best to eat them right away!

Makes about nine muffins

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Rhubarb Ginger Muffins

When I was a kid growing up in a remote town in central BC, we didn't have a lot of places to buy a lot of fruit. Gardens were common, and in our garden was a bunch of rhubarb. My Mom made good use of that rhubarb-from jams to pies, stewed or baked into squares with crumble topping, we ate it often, even ripping the stems right out of the garden and sitting on the lawn with a dish of sugar in hand, dipping the rhubarb into it and crunching the ends off.

We ate rhubarb so much that eventually, I began to hate it and in the last 20 yrs, rhubarb hasn't so much as touched my lips.

These muffins intrigued me. They are from Jamie Oliver, and being a food writer now I should be writing about things that are seasonal, with rhubarb being on the list at the moment. I scored some rhubarb at the store since I don't have a garden, pulled out my kitchen scale, and whipped these babies up.

Brown sugary with a hint of lemon and ginger, with some tart rhubarb in there to make it moist, these muffins are absolutely delectable. You must try them! If you don't have a kitchen scale, don't worry- I have included the original measurements and then converted them to cups for you. I did make a few changes, as noted in brackets in the recipe.

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

3 cups (350 g) flour
1 1/4 cups (225 g) brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (250 ml) milk (I used buttermilk)
zest of 1 orange (I used a lemon-SO good!)
2 pieces of stem ginger, finally chopped (with the lack of measurement here, I took a wild guess and used 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh ginger)
7 tbsp (100 grams) butter, melted
1 large egg
2 cups (300 g) fresh rhubarb, chopped finely

Topping:
1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and line your muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and lemon/orange zest in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, ginger, egg, and melted butter together. Pour into the flour mixture. Fold gently with a wooden spoon-usually I'd say until just moistened, but the rhubarb adds a lot of moisture so add that in after you stir it a bit too.

Divide the batter among muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle some over the muffin batter-not a lot, maybe about a teaspoon or so. What I found happened is the brown sugar melted all over the top which on one hand, tastes delicious, but on the other, makes a bit of a mess. There was brown sugar all over my muffin pans and it seeped down and covered the paper muffin cups which at first seemed like a nasty sticky mess, but turned out okay because the muffins were delicious. So just be careful about how much sugar you top those babies with, you don't want an oven full of melted brown sugar. It's possible that my issue with it was simply because I had my measurements a little off.

Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the muffin tin immediately to a rack to cool (otherwise if the sugar seeped down into the tin, you may have to chisel them out).

These freeze really well kept in an airtight container, and make a nice lunchbox treat when you need one.

Makes 12

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Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last week I spent a few days with my friend Emma, an amazing cook, kid wrangler, dog herder, blogger, and cookbook author. I was lucky enough to get a copy of her book Whining and Dining, which I can barely wait to cook my way through as the recipes all sound so yummy. These muffins were a perfect solution to the bananas falling out of my freezer, and Kevin loved them tucked into his lunchbox. Not too sweet, but still chocolaty, they make a great snack.

Adapted from Whining and Dining

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (3-4 bananas)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
large flake oats, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350 F, and either grease a muffin tin with butter or line cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and melted butter. Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to whisk, until well mixed. Stir in the oats, banana, buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a third at a time, folding in gently after each addition until just barely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups and if you want, top with a sprinkle of large flake oats. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the muffin tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12.

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Applesauce Spice Muffins

What to do with a bunch of apples rolling around in the crisper? Well, make apple muffins, of course! You can use store bought unsweetened apple sauce if you wish, but I often make my own when I have some strays hanging around in the crisper. Apple sauce is easy! You can follow the directions here (omitting the blackberries and maple syrup).

These muffins turned out deliciously spicy with a crunchy top, and when I took them to school for the breakfast program they were gone in no time. With the use of applesauce instead of milk, they were far lower in dairy than some muffin recipes, too. You can add whatever kind of nuts you want, or just leave them out.

adapted from Gourmet November 2003

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. You can line your muffin tin with paper cups, or grease the tin if you wish.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt together. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, applesauce, brown sugar, and melted butter together. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the nuts.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups. In a little bowl, stir together the topping ingredients and then sprinkle over top of the batter in the muffin cups. I like using Sugar in the Raw for topping because it's coarser and gives a nice crunch, but regular sugar works well too.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a rack on the counter.

Makes 12.

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Apple Ginger Muffins

Sometimes I bake muffins for the school that I work at, usually to gift the breakfast program or to hand out to kids when they arrive without a lunch. Awhile ago there were some apples rolling around and inspired by this recipe, I decided to make some applesauce and then use the sauce in these muffins.

I don't know about you, but I'm one who doesn't really like a lot of chewy 'stuff' in my muffins. Oh, I'm good with chocolate or pieces of real fruit, but raisins or dried fruit usually isn't my thing. Since the great pantry invasion just after Christmas (bugs, not teenagers), it's also taking a little time to re-accumulate all the bits of baking ingredients I once had.

(note: the invasion hitched a ride home in the form of some contaminated food. Can happen to anyone, no matter how clean your kitchen is. Now I have all my pantry stuff stored in some really nifty containers! More on that later.)

With this recipe, I decided to take the plunge and try it with just the raisins and candied ginger, since I didn't have any cranberries. I had never actually tried candied ginger, but a friend of mine loves the stuff so much that she'd eat a whole bag so I thought I'd give it a go. The verdict? I still don't like chewy things in my muffins. The flavor is delicious, but I just don't like the bits. Next time I'd like to try them with chocolate chips and nuts, leave the add-ins out altogether, or even put in some pieces of actual apple.

Adapted from Crepes of Wrath

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
7 tbsp melted unsalted butter
3/4 cup old fashioned oats

original recipe:
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup crystallized ginger

My version-try omitting the raisins, cranberries and ginger, instead add 1/4 cup chopped nuts and 2/3 cup chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, applesauce, and butter. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened.

Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts (or the dried fruit if you are going that route).
Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with either more oats or some coarse sugar, which is my favorite way to top muffins. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the top comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Banana Blueberry Muffins

With "sketchy" bananas hanging around on the counter (I totally stole that saying from a twitter buddy, but I can't remember which one) I couldn't wait to try this recipe, which produced some tasty muffins for the lunch box. Use bananas that haven't been frozen, as the frozen ones add a little too much liquid and can make them kind of mushy.

Adapted From Every Day Food January/February 2009
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, banana, and vanilla. Set aside.

Using your electric mixer, beat butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl as you go.

Add the flour and milk/banana mixtures to the butter mixture alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups. At this point I love crunchy topped muffins so I often sprinkle on some coarse sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw and then bake the muffins 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 12.

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Pumpkin Loaf

This sweet but not too sweet loaf is delicious with a slather of cream cheese mixed with a little maple syrup. I often make it to use up last bits of pumpkin left over from pies, or just as a nice treat to tuck into Kevin's lunchbox.

Adapted From Food To Grow On, by Rena and Susan Mendelson

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl until combined. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter (or shortening) with the sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Stir in the pumpkin and milk.

Add the flour mixture and stir until just smooth, then pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top. Now, I like crunchy tops on my quick breads, so I sprinkle some sugar in the raw over the top, and then bake. This step is optional. It does add extra sugar and the loaf is already quite sweet, but I like the little extra sugary crunch.

Bake at 350 F for about an hour, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan, and then remove and cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf

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Carrot Gingerbread Muffins

Warm and spicy with crunchy sugar tops, these muffins are delectable. If you love gingerbread this is surely the kind of snack for you! I omitted the raisins because I couldn't stand the thought of raisins intruding on my snack, but feel free to add them if you wish. I also used muscavado brown sugar, a gift from Anne, which gave them an extra dark, caramel-like taste. Then I ripped one apart greedily as soon as they emerged from the oven, because the smell was so incredible I could barely stand it. What I love about this recipe is the inclusion of yogurt instead of loads of oil, so between that and the carrots, I feel good about eating them. You should too.



Adapted from Canadian Living September 2010

1/2 cup golden raisins
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (or you could try muscavado sugar)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fancy molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup 1% plain yogurt
2 cups shredded carrots

Top your raisins with 2 tsp of water, in a small bowl. Cover them and microwave on high for 20 seconds, before stirring and setting aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, measure out your flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk together and set aside.

Plop the butter into a large bowl and mix it up with an electric mixer, along with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla, continuing to combine well. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl and combine all the ingredients well.
Stir in flour mixture, then yogurt until everything is just combined. Fold in the carrots and raisins.

Spoon into muffin cups that have either been greased well or lined with paper cups. Top with a sprinkling of coarse raw sugar.

Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12

Now try really, really hard not to just devour them all. It's hard!

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Blackberry Lemon Muffins

Here in BC, nothing says the beginning of fall like blackberries. They grow wild along the road and in the fields, their branches heavy with fruit while the birds, bears, and humans gorge themselves on them.

Blackberries are by far my favorite berry. Ever. We scoff at the pints in the grocery store. Who in their right mind would pay $5 for a tiny bit when you can walk down the road and pick all you want for free?

There's a bakery in town that makes the most amazing raspberry oatmeal muffins-sweet, crunchy topped with big pieces of fruit, they are my favorite. These muffins are almost exactly like them!

2 cups flour
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup frozen raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, lemon rind, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk with eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix well with a wire whisk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until only just combined. Fold in berries.

Spoon into paper lined muffin cups until full and bake in a pre-heated 375 F oven for about 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. I know-you'll feel like you are over filling the cups, but it's okay. They turn out really large and delicious. If you are worried about them sticking to the top of the pan, make sure to grease it so they come off super easy.

Makes about 12 good sized muffins

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Morning Glory Muffins

When I first looked at this recipe, what struck me was how few muffins it made (6) and how many calories they were! (346) My first change with the recipe was to make them smaller, so I ended up with 12, and obviously just by doing that the calories were much less.

Packed full of fruit, pumpkin seeds, and coconut, these are really a great snack that are a good substitution for a granola bar.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup grated apple
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (I used a mixture of dried cherries/blueberries/cranberries)
1/4 cup unsalted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup coconut

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a different bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, yogurt, and vegetable oil. Combine with the flour mixture. At this point, I found that the mixture was far too dry so I added about 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir in the grated carrot, apple, cranberries, pepitas, and coconut.

Fill paper lined muffin cups, sprinkling with a little extra coconut over top. Bake for about 20 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch (not squishy, but set) . Remove to a cooling rack.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

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Maple Blueberry Muffins

I've had a few maple recipes stashed away, just for when maple syrup was on sale and I could try them out. Little did I know, there already was a bottle sitting in the cupboard since Christmas and I just hadn't noticed.

Mmm...these muffins are really good-the brown sugar streusel topping is tasty, except that I can't eat almonds so I used macadamia nuts instead. Yummers!

No idea where it's from. If you recognize it and it's yours, please tell me!

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, maple syrup, milk, and butter. Pour over the flour mixture and stir just until moistened-fold in blueberries.

Spoon into paper lined cups until 2/3 full and sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 min. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool.

Streusel topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, almonds, butter and cinnamon. Set aside.

Makes 12

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Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

I hadn't planned to post this recipe quite yet, mostly because I haven't had the time to snap a good picture of these muffins. Light, delicious, and packed with chocolate chips, they are the best banana chip muffins I've had yet. We've been too busy scarfing them down, putting them in lunches, etc.

The muffin in the picture has 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips, which made them positively delectable!

Adapted from Bon Appetit, March 1999

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and banana until smooth. Pour into the flour mixture and fold until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups until 3/4 full. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

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Apple Oatmeal Crumble Topped Muffins

After the massive sugar overload that is Halloween, I made these in hopes of having something other than mini chocolate bars to toss in Jake's lunch box. They are supposed to have a buttery, sugary crumble topping but I wanted Hubs to be able to eat them so I left it out. Since the muffin itself isn't very sweet at all, I imagine a topping of brown sugar, pecans and flour would have made it over the top delicious. Try them! They are a great way to use up some apples you might have rolling around in the fridge.

1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced

Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F, and line your muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk the milk, vegetable oil, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Stir in the apple pieces. Pour it all into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir together just until everything is moist and blended. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir the topping ingredients together. Set aside.

Spoon the muffin batter into the paper lined cups and sprinkle with topping. Bake in the center of your oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12.

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Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

I'm usually skeptical about pumpkin in a muffin, because most recipes I try end up with a very heavy, wet, and sticky end product. This recipe is not like that at all! Moist but light, these are a cross between a cupcake and a muffin. Do NOT skimp on the cream cheese icing, because these are just crying out to be ripped apart and greedily devoured, as you lick the decadent sweetness from your fingers.

If you are worried about calories, use light cream cheese and note the muffins have little oil in them.

Makes 12

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Icing
4 oz (1/2 pk) cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups icing sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs; stir in pumpkin, buttermilk, and vegetable oil. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Spoon into large paper lined cups, filling to the top. Bake at 375 F for about 25 min, or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Icing: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add icing sugar and beat until smooth; frost cooled cupcakes.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Blueberry Orange Muffins

This is one of my favorite muffin recipes. With a hint of orange and some warmth from nutmeg and cardamom, it's a perfect weekend morning treat. The addition of apple sauce cuts down on the oil, too. I love to sprinkle some coarse sugar on top before baking them to make the tops crunchy and sweet.

3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 orange (you need the zest, then cut it in 1/2 and juice it to have approximately 3 Tbsp juice)
1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen blueberries
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup skim milk

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and orange zest in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, applesauce, orange juice, and skim milk. Pour into the flour mixture and stir gently until just barely combined. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among paper lined muffin cups. It will feel like you are filling them too full, but it's okay. They rise up nicely!



Bake 22-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool.

Slather with some butter and devour them warm.

Makes 12

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Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

Muffins are a cheap, healthy alternative to bought granola bars for school lunches. I had been wanting to try these ones for awhile, and only recently got around to it. They are very mild, with little sugar. I think that if I make them again I would switch orange extract for the vanilla to enhance the orange flavor. The glaze ads a nice, sweet, touch.

This recipe is from Canadian Living April 2005

2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze:
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp orange juice

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk. Set aside.

In a different bowl, whisk together the yogurt, orange rind, orange juice, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour over the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon into paper lined muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack. Combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl and brush over the warm muffins. Let cool.

Makes 12.

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Banana Bran Muffins

Looking for something healthy to start your day? I have been cooking things from my copy of Anne Lindsay's "The New Lighthearted Cookbook" and these were a tasty treat. I don't like my muffins to be all sweet and cake-like, nor do I like raisins. With this recipe the banana makes them sweet enough, and if you want you can choose to add raisins. I left them out.

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oat or wheat bran
1 cup raisins (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and wheat bran. Stir with a whisk. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, canola oil, sugar, bananas and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just moistened. Fold in raisins, if using.

Line a muffin tin with paper cups and fill each about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 12.

Adapted from Anne Lindsay's "The New Lighthearted Cookbook"

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