BAKING MUFFINS, MUFFINS, MUFFINS

BAKING MUFFINS 

We have been on a muffin kick the past few weeks. Here are a few new muffin recipes I have tried the past few weeks.

Oat Bran Muffins with Dried Pears

This is a healthy muffin recipe. The oat bran is a great source of fiber. This recipe comes from A New Way To Cook by Sally Schneider.


About 1 tsp oil for brushing the muffin cups
1 3/4 cups oat bran
2 T granulated or light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup finely chopped dried pears chopped with 1 tsp of flour to keep them from sticking or 1 small apple, peeled, cored, and cut into small dice
1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 T honey
3 large egg whites
2 T oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly gease muffin cups. Set aside.
In medium bowl, combine oat bran, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dried pears or apple and toss to coat with flour.
In small bowl, combine cider, buttermilk, honey, egg whites, oil, and vanilla. Whisk this mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Divide batter equally among the prepared muffin cups.
Bake the muffins until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes
These are best when freshly baked.


RICOTTA-LEMON MUFFINS

This recipe came from Mollie Kratzen
This site is full of healthy recipes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes to prepare; 20 to 25 minutes to bake
Yield: About a dozen 2 1/2-inch muffins
My children love these easy, delicious, high-protein muffins as a quick breakfast "grab" on a rushed school morning. They also love finding these in their lunch bag or as an after-school snack. I make several batches of muffins, then store them in sealed plastic bags in the freezer. This way, I can pull out a muffin (or several) as needed. They defrost quickly, and are great split and toasted.

PROTEIN NOTE: To make these even higher in protein, you can substitute a good-tasting protein powder for 1/2 cup of the flour.

FLOUR NOTE: This recipe calls for part unbleached white flour and part whole wheat pastry flour, which is a very light, finely-milled whole wheat flour. If you can't find it, use all white flour.

Oil, butter, or oil-spray for the pans
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest (heaping measure)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 to 6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 375°F oven. Lightly oil, butter, or oil-spray 12 2-inch muffin cups.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice, and sugar, and beat together until well-blended.

In a second medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the wet mixture. Mix from the bottom of the bowl with just a few strokes until thoroughly combined. (Don't overmix.)

Use a 1/3-cup measure with a handle–or two soup spoons–to scoop batter from the bowl into the prepared muffin cups. The cups should each be about 3/4-full.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted all the way into the center of a muffin in the middle of the pan.

Remove from the oven, and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Eat the muffins hot, warm or at room temperature


Banana Chocolate Muffins

This recipe is from the White Lace Inn

Ingredients:
3 c. flour
6 bananas
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 7 oz. chopped Hershey Bar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla Directions:
In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Stir in the sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs.
In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, add to the sugar, oil, vanilla & eggs mixture, and beat gently. Fold all into the flour mixture. Next stir the chocolate chunks into batter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes approximately 24 muffins.