Cooking for Seven

I am  definitely a Minnesota girl. When the weather turns cold, I rejoice! And I get an itch to bake delicious, sweet things. Like these muffins. And this pie.

Our apples didn’t do so well this year. There were quite a few deformed apples, but I am thankful for what we did get! It is so nice to be able to munch on an apple whenever I wish.

These muffins have a lovely blend of flavors. Chunky apple pieces, nutty whole wheat flour, LOTS of cinnamon (1 whole tablespoon), and crunchy sugar granules on top.

“Do these have the same ingredients as apple crisp?” my brother asked.

They do resemble that delicious dessert.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

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Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup demerara sugar, sucanat, or rapadura, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour or line with paper muffin cups 14 muffin cups and set aside.

2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add 3/4 cup of the sweetener of choice. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

2) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm with butter.

Yield: 12-14 muffins

A while back, when I was serving bean soup for lunch, I realized that there was absolutely no bread to be had. That’s a big no no in our house. If you have soup, you eat bread in some shape or form.

I looked at the clock - nearly 11:30. Dad would be home in half an hour. I decided to make lunch wait a while, and whipped up a batch of muffins.

Isn’t it funny how the recipes you don’t expect much from often times turn out the best? That’s what happened with these muffins. I knew that since they would be 100% whole wheat, they would most likely turn out tough and dry. Not so! To my surprise and delight, they were tender and full of flavor.

Okay, I admit it. This recipe comes from Betty Crocker. That old, tattered, well used book with a broken spine and the pages falling out. When pressed for time, I do refer to this seasoned cook.

The surprise in these muffins lies in the center: a dab of jam nestled in the muffin batter. Use whatever jam is your favorite. Raspberry works very well.

The original recipe makes 12 muffins. I like my muffins a little larger, so I made just eight. Enough for everyone to have one and fight over the last.

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:: Surprise Muffins ::

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Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) Whole Wheat Pastry Flour(aka soft white wheat)
• 1/2 cup sucanat, rapadura or Demerara sugar.
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Jam of choice

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 400° F. Grease or line with paper muffin cups 12 medium muffin cups.

2) In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredient to the egg mixture and stir just until the flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy.

3) Fill muffin cups 1/2 full with batter. Drop 1 teaspoon of jelly into the center of each muffin and top with remaining batter to fill 2/3 full.

4) Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm with butter.

Makes 8-12 muffins

P.S. It’s Kitchen Tip Tuesday…