At the risk of making everyone think that all I eat is soup and muffins, here's another muffin recipe. Let's face it. You can never have too many muffins. Especially ones like these, bursting with little apple nuggets and chewy oatmeal, golden brown and crusty on top, cakey and dense inside. Add a hint of cinnamon and you can almost imagine it's still autumn, even though snow is falling and all the trees are looking for their leaves. (Don't get me wrong; I like snow and winter. I just like fall more.)
If you still have a few wrinkly apples left from your visit to the orchard a couple of months ago, they will be great for this recipe. I actually used up some windfalls I still had from the co-op. If not, any kind of cooking apple will do. The original recipe calls for plain yogurt, which I happened to have on hand, but sour cream or applesauce can be substituted as well. (If you have homemade applesauce, all the better.)
Apple-Oat Muffins (from this recipe)
Yield: 1 dozen
Total time: 35-40 minutes
2 cups peeled shredded apple (about 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
2 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz.) plain low-fat yogurt (OR applesauce OR sour cream)
1 egg
Place apple on paper towels; squeeze over sink until barely moist; set aside. Combine flour and next six ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, vanilla, yogurt, and egg; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in apple.
Spoon batter into 12 well-greased muffin cups (they should be filled almost to the top). Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.
Showing posts with label muffins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muffins. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
Just before Thanksgiving, in a moment of weakness, I bought two bags of fresh cranberries without the slightest idea of what I was going to make with them. I'm not a huge fan of cranberry sauce, but I've been on a berry kick lately and I figured they had to be good for something. Right? Anybody?
After wasting large amounts of time perusing my favorite recipe website, I decided to try combining this muffin recipe with this one. The verdict? You should make them, too. They're amazing. And if nothing else, they're the perfect way to use up that last half-bag of cranberries skulking in the fruit crisper.
(Yes, I know cranberries aren't in the co-op. If you don't have any left over from Thanksgiving, Aldi had them for $.50 a bag on sale last time I looked; I think they're regularly $1.)
Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
Time: 30-45 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (or flour, either whole wheat or AP)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (use a food processor if you have one)
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. grated lemon rind (you could also use orange rind)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Parsnip Muffins
Yes, really. Don't run away yet.
Despite the fact that I grew up next to a field where parsnips frequently grew in abundance, I think I've only eaten them once in my life. My brothers and I tended to think of them more as toy swords and play food that were left behind after the harvest, and the one time my mom decided to cook them we were more than a bit skeptical. But after watching a Good Eats episode on parsnips and seeing a bin of them at the co-op, I decided to give these muffins a try. I was pleasantly surprised. They definitely have that unique parsnip flavor, sort of spicy and earthy. Still a bit unusual, but the spices and almonds balance out the flavors for a tasty, autumn-y snack.
Now if I can just figure out what to do with the rest of my parsnips...
Parsnip Muffins (based on Alton Brown's recipe)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen
10 ounces parsnips (about 3 small)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt (OR sour cream)
1/4 cup applesauce (OR vegetable oil)
3/4 cup sugar
1. Prepare parsnips: Cut off both ends, peel, and grate with a box grater. Or, if you're like me and prefer to keep your knuckles intact, cut the peeled parsnips into large chunks and chop in a food processor. Either way, you should end up with about 2 1/2 cups.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and place in oven while it heats. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted, approximately 10 minutes (check them every few minutes; you should also be able to smell them when they're ready). Meanwhile, thoroughly grease or spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin (don't skimp on the grease—the batter is really sticky).
3. Combine next six ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium mixing bowl; mix with a wire whisk. Whisk the eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture and parsnips; fold with a rubber spatula until all of the flour is moistened. (Use as few strokes as possible; too much mixing, and the muffins will turn out rubbery. You should still see some flour lumps in the batter.) Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the toasted almonds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees F and are golden brown, rotating halfway through baking.
4. Use a small knife to loosen the muffins and immediately remove them from the tin to a cooling rack; cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Despite the fact that I grew up next to a field where parsnips frequently grew in abundance, I think I've only eaten them once in my life. My brothers and I tended to think of them more as toy swords and play food that were left behind after the harvest, and the one time my mom decided to cook them we were more than a bit skeptical. But after watching a Good Eats episode on parsnips and seeing a bin of them at the co-op, I decided to give these muffins a try. I was pleasantly surprised. They definitely have that unique parsnip flavor, sort of spicy and earthy. Still a bit unusual, but the spices and almonds balance out the flavors for a tasty, autumn-y snack.
Now if I can just figure out what to do with the rest of my parsnips...
Parsnip Muffins (based on Alton Brown's recipe)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen
10 ounces parsnips (about 3 small)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt (OR sour cream)
1/4 cup applesauce (OR vegetable oil)
3/4 cup sugar
1. Prepare parsnips: Cut off both ends, peel, and grate with a box grater. Or, if you're like me and prefer to keep your knuckles intact, cut the peeled parsnips into large chunks and chop in a food processor. Either way, you should end up with about 2 1/2 cups.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and place in oven while it heats. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted, approximately 10 minutes (check them every few minutes; you should also be able to smell them when they're ready). Meanwhile, thoroughly grease or spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin (don't skimp on the grease—the batter is really sticky).
3. Combine next six ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium mixing bowl; mix with a wire whisk. Whisk the eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture and parsnips; fold with a rubber spatula until all of the flour is moistened. (Use as few strokes as possible; too much mixing, and the muffins will turn out rubbery. You should still see some flour lumps in the batter.) Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the toasted almonds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees F and are golden brown, rotating halfway through baking.
4. Use a small knife to loosen the muffins and immediately remove them from the tin to a cooling rack; cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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