Cranberry Ginger Muffins

Nothing says winter to me quite like cranberries. Those tart red orbs are a classic flavor this time of year. In graduate school, we read and absorb so much that we joke about how sometimes we don't have an original thought. Even when I think I may have had an original thought, I can usually go back in a book I've read or a lecture I've listened to and find the same idea. The same thing goes for cooking. I'm just honestly not that brilliant of a cook, so when I thought "cranberries and candied ginger in a muffin," I knew someone else had probably had the same thought at some point. So I went searching and found this recipe.

These muffins have some strong flavors going on. With the tartness of the cranberries and spice of the ginger, no one will mistake these for cake. The oats bulk them up. They freeze well and, heated up in the microwave, make the perfect pre-exam breakfast. Or really any kind of breakfast.

Cranberry Ginger Muffins
source: Coconut & Lime

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup cranberries
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup chopped uncrystallized candied ginger (I used crystallized candied ginger)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. Line or grease and flour one 12 well muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together the oatmeal, egg, oil, milk, and sugar. After it is thoroughly mixed, add in the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir to combine. Fold in the cranberries and ginger chunks. Divide evenly amount 12 muffin wells.


Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center muffin comes out clean. (Mine took about 25 minutes.)

Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins

I'm always looking for freezable, portable breakfast ideas for Joe, and I thought I hit the jackpot when I found the Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis. However, man cannot eat oatmeal breakfast clafoutis forever, and this recipe from the October 2009 Cooking Light looked like a good, savory counterpart. Joe has enjoyed them so far and likes the heft that the cornmeal gives the muffins as well as the zing that the ground red pepper and green onions add. The ham helps keep him satisfied, which is great since sometimes he can go 7-8 hours between when he eats breakfast and his lunch break. They freeze and defrost beautifully. I did sort of "unhealthify" these, and my changes are reflected below. These would also go well beside chili or another hearty soup.

Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins
source: Cooking Light October 2009

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup diced ham
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and red pepper in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Form a well in the center of the mixture. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and oil. Pour into well in flour mixture, stirring until moist. Do not overmix. Gently fold in cheese, green onions, corn, and diced ham.
3. Coat 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and spoon batter into each well. Bake at 350-degrees for 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.
   

Banana Coconut Muffins

Every week, I buy a bunch of bananas for Joe at the grocery store. I know they're the opposite of "local", but bananas are an easy snack or supplement to a meal for him to take to the hospital. Inevitably, there are some weeks that he doesn't eat all of them before they turn brown, so I peel them and shove them in a freezer bag in a freezer waiting to be used for recipes like this one.

Is there anything about the banana coconut combination that doesn't say, "tropical vacation in my mouth"? This recipe falls into the muffins-as-cake category, and they are so good, especially with that browned coconut on top. This and a good mojito (not in the morning though) is the closest I'm getting to a tropical vacation for a while so eat up!

Banana Coconut Muffins
source: Epicurious via Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Peach-Oat Muffins

Please pardon the commission of the number one sin of food photography: the flash. I made this later in the evening on Sunday, and I knew they would all disappear the next morning. A few of the other women in my CPE group and I had talked about baking for the group, and since I was on-call Sunday and couldn't go anywhere, I figured I would make some muffins for our Monday morning session. After demolishing all but 4 peaches from our 27 pounds of peaches, I decided to use the last few and make these muffins.

They turned out deliciously. The peach flavor shone through, and I've come to appreciate whole-wheat flour and oats for making muffins taste more like breakfast and less like dessert. The recipe said they would make 20 muffins, but I shoved it into 12 and was left with beautiful muffin tops. I might overfill my muffin pan more often now!

Peach-Oat Muffins
source: Woman with a Whisk

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat flour
• 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. applesauce (the no-sugar added kind)
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 4 peaches, pitted and chopped
  

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with baking cups. (I sprayed with Pam because I couldn't find my baking cups.)
  
• Combine the flours, oats, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, eggs, and sugars.
• Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the peaches.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for ~25 minutes. Cool in the pan for ~10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. If freezing the muffins, freeze individually for 30 minutes before storing them in a Ziploc freezer bag.

Traveler's Chocolate Muffins

I like to eat healthy things. But I also like feeling rebellious and eating cake for breakfast. These muffins straddle that line beautifully. With indulgent chocolate chips melting inside but only 2 tablespoons of oil, I don't feel that guilty having these for breakfast. And doesn't chocolate have antioxidants?

Anyway, blog posting has been a little slow. If you weren't aware, I'm working as a hospice chaplain this summer, which is so amazing but so tiring and leads to Joe and I eating less-than-bloggable dinners. And I've been trying to do a little bit more cooking and baking on the weekends, but this weekend my mother-in-law is in town and next weekend Joe and I are heading up to the Milwaukee-area for the 4th. All of this to say, I'm really glad these muffins are in my freezer.

Traveler's Chocolate Muffins
source: Baking and Books
Yields 6 jumbo muffins or 12 regular

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• About 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your muffin tins with baking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing with a whisk. In a large bowl combine the milk, brown sugar, egg, olive oil and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, stirring to combine.

Fill your muffin cups 3/4 full then sprinkle sugar on top of the batter. Bake jumbo muffins for 30-35 minutes and regular sized muffins for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then run a butter knife around the edges and move the muffins to a wire rack.

Banana-Blueberry-Oat Muffins

Sometimes, in the summer, I buy too much fruit. And sometimes when I buy too much fruit, that necessitates that fruit being used in other forms rather than eaten straight...like muffins. Joe loves muffins because they're sweet and can be eaten easily. I like healthy muffins that are flavorful and light. These muffins made us both happy.

The oats bulk up the muffin to make them heartier, while the mashed banana keeps the whole-wheat flour from seeming too dense. We have a bag of these in our freezer for easy access. About two minutes in the microwave and they heat right up!

Banana-Blueberry-Oat Muffins
source: Vintage Victuals

1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour

1 cup oats, rolled or quick

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup buttermilk or fat free sour cream

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used about 3 medium bananas.)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line or grease the wells of a cupcake pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk until completely combined.

In a small bowl, beat together eggs, applesauce, sour cream, and bananas. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir until almost completely moistened. Add the blueberries and continue stirring JUST until completely moistened. Your batter should be lumpy. Don't over-mix or your muffins will be rubbery.

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

It's no secret that I have a weakness for healthier muffins. Especially during the busy holiday season, it's helpful to have a breakfast that you can grab as you head out the door. These are similar to the bread I recently made, but the addition of oatmeal gives it a heartier breakfast taste. The orange isn't as pronounced in these muffins, but it is still there. I could imagine these muffins being served as part of a light breakfast or brunch on Christmas morning. I like to eat one with another one of my favorite seasonal treats, clementines.

Cranberry Orange Muffins
source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
¼ cup buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 large eggs
⅔ cup (4.67 ounces) sugar
¾ cup milk
⅓ cup melted butter or vegetable oil (I substituted unsweetened applesauce.)

Glaze
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, oats, milk powder, baking powder, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg until broken up. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in butter (or oil) and milk.

3. Add cranberries and nuts, if using, to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add milk mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together. Do not overmix.

4. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.

5. If using glaze: In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze.

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Everyone on my cooking board has really worked themselves into a frenzy over fall baking and pumpkin. Other than pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, I hadn't really used pumpkin much in my own cooking and baking. Enter these delicious-sounding muffins from Elly at Elly Says Opa. In honor of the first day of fall, I made these the other day.

These muffins are impossibly moist. If I didn't know better, I would think they were made with several sticks of butter. And I love raisins and the way the add a little bit of sweetness. I might add up to 1/2 cup next time I make these. I can never have too many raisins!

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
source: Elly Says Opa

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable oil, if you're not calorie counting)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Sift together flours, baking powder and soda, salt and spices.
In a seprarate bowl, beat egg with brown sugar until well combined. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, applesauce and pumpkin puree.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts and raisins.
Pour mixture into muffin cups and bake approximately 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutrition Info, per muffin: Calories: 143 / Fat: 3g / Carbs: 27g / Dietary Fiber: 2.4g / Sugar: 2.2g / Protein: 3.8g

EDIT:
This post has been submitted to the Marvelous Muffins event held by Joelen over at Joelen's Culinary Adventures!

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

When I got home from school and work yesterday, I had a bit of time before going out to dinner with Joe at Tin Angel for Nashville Originals Restaurant Week. I've been itching to make these pumpkin raisin muffins, but since it's been in the 80s, it just hasn't quite felt enough like fall to make them. So I did a little searching and found this recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins. I love anything oatmeal raisin, and I love muffins so I figured this would be something nice and quick to whip up.

They did make the house smell amazing, almost like cookies. I was a little concerned because the dough was very thick, again, almost like a cookie batter. And when I took the muffins out, they looked like little oatmeal raisin muffin-shaped rocks. These are definitely not fluffy buttery muffins, but I had one this morning and it wasn't too bad. It would've been better microwaved for a few seconds and spread with some butter or margarine, but it will be a wonderful healthy snack for Joe and I when we're on the go. It definitely tastes healthy, if you know what I mean, but there is a lot of sweetness from the raisins.

I might find a different recipe for this type of thing or replace 1/2 of the whole-wheat flour with AP flour for a less "wheaty" taste. I did swap out applesauce for the oil, so my version is even lighter than the recipe shown.

Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
source: RecipeZaar

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (or applesauce)
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan. In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (except raisins); mix well. In a large mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients; mix well. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, just until moistened. Stir in raisins. Spoon batter evenly into 12 cups of a muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition Info (with oil):
Serving size, 1 muffin
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 5.9 g
Total Carb: 27 g
Total Protein: 4.3 g

Sunday Morning Blueberry Muffins

When we got the circular for our grocery store, I noticed that strawberries and blueberries had gone on-sale for probably the last time this summer, so I planned to stock up. Well, the strawberries had seen better days, and I grabbed a few pints of blueberries to use on Saturday morning.

I had starred this recipe for its ease and nutritional value. Since Joe usually eats breakfast at around 4 am this month, he's hungry by 8 or 9 am and needs a snack. A healthy yet appealing muffin is the perfect snack for him to take, and these muffins are under 200 calories a piece with less than 5 grams of fat. As you can see from the recipe, most of the moisture comes from the yogurt rather than oil.

These muffins are delicious, moist, and chock full of blueberries, great for an end-of-summer treat before I move on to pumpkin muffins. I doubled the recipe to make 12.

Sunday Morning Blueberry Muffins
source: the domestic goddess Katie over at Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
1 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. plain lowfat yogurt
1/4 c. milk
1 c. fresh blueberries
cinnamon sugar for dusting (I omitted.)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 6 muffin cups.
-In medium bowl, combine flour sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and whisk to combine thoroughly.
-In large bowl, combine egg, oil. vanilla, yogurt milk and whisk to combine thoroughly.
-Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir until just combined (will be lumpy and thick.)
-Fold in blueberries and using ice cream scoop to spoon, divide batter evenly among 6 muffin cups.
-Generously sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon sugar.
-Place in oven and bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin is removed clean, about 12-15 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool in tins for 2 minutes.
-Let cool completely on wire rack or eat immediately.

Makes 6 muffins