Finding the perfect muffin recipe

The other day I was on the search for a great healthy muffin recipe. I just knew that it was possible to make a great tasting muffin that I could eat in the morning without feeling guilty. Most muffins are the equivalent to a piece of cake! Yowza! My search was on when I stumbled onto a fantastic fantastic baking blog. It would be wrong of me not to share it with you because if you enjoy baking then you need to know about this blog. It's http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/ and it's marvelous. Seriously you need to go check it out right after reading this. Anyways, I searched her blog for a recipe that I thought I could use for my muffins because I knew there had to be one and alas I found one! I modified it quite a bit so I'll post the original recipe and in brackets I'll post the changes. The end result was delicious. I mean as delicious as you can get without sugar! I've made 2 batches already in the past week and a half and I've loved waking up in the morning and heating up delicious homemade muffins.I figure that you can take the base of this recipe and turn them into whatever kind of muffins you feel like. I might make some with avocado and walnuts next week. I'll let you know how it goes. Hope you enjoy this recipe and Joy the Baker's blog as much as I do.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
Recipe from http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/320
and modified by me

Makes 12-15 muffins

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used quinoa flour, because I can't have to much gluten)
  
• 1 1/4 cups oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used 2 cups)
  
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used soy milk, because I can't have too much milk)
  
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I skipped the sugar)
  
• 2 tbsp canola oil
  
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) (I used 1 1/2 of unsweetened blueberries)
• And I added 1 mushed up overripe banana. If you want you can use this instead of the egg if you're making these vegan.
• And I added a splash of vanilla
  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I simple greased and floured a muffin pan, saving the paper. (I just greased a nonstick muffin pan with canola oil)

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, milk product, sugar (I omitted), oil, vanilla, egg and banana. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes. (I ended up having to make mine for about 21 minutes or so)

I love anything apple

So lately I've been addicted to reading other people's cooking and baking blogs. I seriously can't get enough and I really can't wait to make some of the delicious recipes I've found. Here's a recipe that I have taken in it's original form from http://orangette.blogspot.com/. I literally copied and pasted the entire thing so I can't take any credit other then I found it and am sharing it with you. I'm planning on making this in the next 2 weeks and am planning to have people over so I can share it's tasty goodness with my friends. If you get the chance to make it before I do then please let me know how it turns out.

Ps. I really do love anything apple. It's a great way to my heart.




Apple Tart Cake
Adapted from Judy Amster’s friend and borrowed post from http://orangette.blogspot.com/

"For this cake, it is particularly important that your oven temperature is accurate. If it runs too hot, the base of the cake could burn before the apples are fully cooked, and the topping, too, could burn before it has time to set.

Also, if your apples aren’t terribly tart, you might consider reducing the sugar in the base a little bit, down from 1 cup to maybe, say, ¾ cup.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
5 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thinly

For topping:
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Pulse to mix. Add the butter, and pulse until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the egg, and blend well, until it resembles cornmeal. Dump it into the prepared springform pan. Nudge it around with your fingertips to distribute it evenly, and then gently press it along the bottom of the pan. You’re not trying to really tamp it down; you just want to compact it a little. At the edges, let it curve up ever so slightly, like a tart shell with a very low, subtle rim. Arrange the apple slices over the base in a tight circular pattern. It may seem as though you have too many apple slices to fit, but keep going. Really squeeze them in. Slide the pan into the oven, and bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to blend well. After the cake has baked for 45 minutes, remove it from the oven, and spoon the topping evenly over it. Bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the topping looks set. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 20 minutes. Then run a thin knife around the edge to release any areas that may have stuck, and remove the sides of the pan. Cool completely before serving."