Blueberry Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the muffin recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. white flour
• 1/2 c. wheat flour
• 1/4 c. wheat germ
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 c. milk or rice milk
• 2 Tb. vegetable oil
• 2 Tb. applesauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c. blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Directions:

1. Grease your muffin tin or line with paper liners. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients (white flour to cinnamon) in a medium bowl.

3. Mix wet ingredients (egg to vanilla) in a smaller bowl.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened--batter should be lumpy. Fold in blueberries.

5. Spoon batter into muffin tin until each cup is about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Banana Muffins

I adapted this recipe from the muffin recipe out of my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 c. milk or rice milk
• 3/4 c. mashed ripe banana (if you have a little more than 3/4c. that's ok too)
• 2 Tb. vegetable oil
• 2 Tb. applesauce

Directions:

1. Grease your muffin tin or put paper liners in. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients (flour to cloves).
3. In a smaller bowl combine all the wet ingredients (egg to applesauce)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened--batter should be lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling about 2/3 the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Carrot Coconut Muffins

This recipe is adapted from a fabulous recipe I found in my Taste of Home magazine, originally called Morning Muffins. I was really excited to come across this recipe because at the hospital where I delivered my baby they had some awesome bran muffins that had carrots and coconut in them. I could not get enough of them and was seriously craving some after I came home. This recipe is a close second to those hospital bran muffins.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. butter,softened OR mashed white beans
• 1/2 c. partially packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 c. shredded carrots (about 2 large carrots)
• 1/2 c. flaked coconut
• 1/2 c. raisins 
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. 
2. Add eggs and sour cream; beat well.
3. Add the carrots, coconut, and raisins. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Add to the wet mixture just until moistened.
5. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4ths full. 
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Makes 1 dozen.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I found this recipe at a blog called Kathie Cooks. They were scrumptious.

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 c. Flour
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 T. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 c. Pumpkin
• 1/2 c. Butter, softened
• 1 c. Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups.

Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

Break eggs into another bowl. Add pumpkin and butter; whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Scoop batter evening into 12-15 muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used whole wheat flour.
2. I made mini muffins, so the cook time was about 12-14 minutes instead and it yielded about 4 dozen.
3. The second time I made them I also replaced the butter with pureed garbanzo beans. I put the beans in a bowl and mashed them with my potato masher/bottom of a cup until they were basically pureed (you could do this with a food processor but I've only got my poor blender and it just doesn't do so hot). It's a one to one ratio, so 1/2 cup of butter can be replaced with 1/2 cup of beans.