Blackberry Almond Muffins

I am burned out on granola and I am not always the best morning person, so muffins are my plan b for easy quick breakfasts. I used to bake muffins every week and then I realized I was probably overdoing it on the carbs. (Thanks gestational diabetes.) Now muffins are an every and now and then. Pair with some good coffee, scrambled eggs, fruit or cheese and these will keep you feeling full and happy.

*Mix Ahead* I have a container of flours and flaxseed that I have pre-mixed and ready to throw in breads, muffins, pancakes, etc.  It goes like this: 1 Cup all purpose flour, 1 Cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 Cup milled flaxseed. Shake before using.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup pre-mixed flour
2/3 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1/2 Cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 - 2 Cups fresh blackberries
1/2 Cup sliced almonds

The original recipe is from the tried and true Better Homes and Gardens cook book.  

-I used almond milk because I have it and no one will drink it, so it has to go somewhere, right?And honestly, I didn't measure. I assume it was about 1/2 Cup, add more if your batter is too thick.
-I changed the sugar amount to 2/3 C because blackberries are super tart.
-I tossed in my flour mix, because it's a habit, I can't help myself.
-I ran out of canola oil midway through this recipe and substituted with what I thought was enough butter to fill the liquid requirements.
-I added vanilla and cinnamon because I like the way they smell.
-I tossed in some sliced almonds at the last minute, it was a great decision

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your muffin pan how you like (with grease or spray or use liners). Mix up the ingredients. I have never followed the directions on the order things should go in what bowl. Just put it together and mix. Spoon the batter into your muffin pan, filling up the cups about 3/4 of the way. Bake for about 18-20 minutes.

Enjoy your mornings!

Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Muffins

photo from Breakneck Acres

Leftover pumpkin? Leftover mashed sweet potato? Muffin time! 

I didn't have an exact recipe to follow here, so I just went with the guidelines for apple cheddar muffins and I used spices without measuring, but these are pretty close to what I think the measurements would be. Add a touch more of what you like in the spice department just don't go crazy. I did that one time and ate an apple pie that tasted entirely like cloves and nothing like apples and cinnamon.

Recipe:

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

 2 1/2 tspn baking powder

1/3 C quick cooking oats

2 T brown sugar

1 tspn cinnamon

1 tspn nutmeg

1/2 tspn ginger

1/2 tspn cloves

1/2 C sugar

pinch of salt

1 C mashed sweet potato

1 C pureed pumpkin

1/3 C cooking oil

3/4 C milk

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees Toss dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. Combine wet and dry. Line muffin pan with paper cups and fill cups about 1/2 way with batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Makes about 12 muffins

Happy Autumn!

Carrot Oat Muffins

When I look up recipes for carrot muffins I find a lot of recipes for carrot cake..... What I'm looking for is a healthy yummy crunchy recipe that tastes likes carrots, because I happen to like carrots a lot. I haven't found one that I really like yet... so I made one up.

When I make up recipes from scratch I try to make them as simple as possible so that I can remember them without having to look them up again. I try to keep the measurements to something I will remember and that looks like the right proportion when I throw it in the batter. Sometimes this works out, sometimes it doesn't. This combination worked out extremely well for the first round.

If you want to try them out below is the recipe... but I warn you they do not taste like carrot cake. As much as I love pineapple and cream cheese I omitted them for something more breakfast-y. They taste like crunchy carrot granola bars in muffin form.... my sweet toothed kids loved them.

 (this particular batch of muffins are heart shaped)

Recipe:

2 Cups shredded carrots

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

1/2 Cup ground up oats (I toss mine in the food processor first)

1 Cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 stick of butter, softened

1 Cup of wheat flour

1 Cup of all purpose flour

1/3 Cup flaked coconuts, chopped up

1/3 Cup milled flaxseed

1/3 Cup raisins

1/3 Cup of applesauce

Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes