Easy Morning Muffins
Years ago, a friend gave me a recipe for Morning Glory Muffins. Scrumptious. A recipe involving raisins, carrots, nuts, and coconut, yet simple.
I don’t make muffins often - too many carbs and too much starch for me, but my kids love them and it gets some fruit into their diet, so I make them occasionally.
This morning I used the Morning Glory Muffin recipe but added different fruits to suit my kids’ tastes and what I had on hand in the fridge and pantry. It turned into Cranberry-Pumpkin-Apple-Nut muffins which were quite yummy. I realize that you can use lots of different fruit combinations in this basic recipe and come up with something different every time. I LOVE recipes like that - when you can make a dozen substitutions and still have success!
Easy Morning Muffins
makes 2 dozen regular or 1 dozen large muffins
3/4 c. fruit A (cranberries)
3/4 c. fruit B (tiny apple chunks)
3/4 c. fruit C (pureed pumpkin)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (pecans)
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. melted butter
(option - use peanut butter in place of the butter)
1 c sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 c. cereal - Grape Nuts, Rice Krispies, All Bran, or similar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
Heat your oven to 250.
Step 1 — Use your chopper or paring knife to coarsely cut the fruit. Use your imagination - surprise your family with an interesting combination! Coconut, pecans, almonds, apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, dates… - the possibilities are endless. One of the fruits should be smooth - mashed bananas, applesauce, or something pureed, like pumpkin. Toss all of the fruit and nuts together in a large bowl. Measurements are negotiable, you can have more of one and less of another.
Step 2 — Melt the butter or peanut butter and then add the eggs and sugars. Whisk all of this together in a medium-sized bowl. Then add this to the fruit mixture and stir.
Step 3 — Combine the dry ingredients — the flours, cereal, baking powder and cinnamon. Depending on what fruits you put in, you may want to skip the cinnamon. Add the dry mixture to the sloppy fruit mixture and fold - just until the flour is moistened. This is a general rule with muffins - do not overmix.
Grease your muffin pan and bake at 350 for approximately 20-25 minutes.
These muffins are moist and sweet, yet full of healthy fruits. A great way to start your day or send your children off to school. If I figure out how to make yummy muffins without sugar, I’ll be sure to let you know!
January 31st, 2008