Almond Banana Muffins

My kids are getting picky at breakfast. We used to have oatmeal almost every day, but those days are gone. I discovered these muffins recently and recommend them as a pretty healthy option as they are sweetened only by banana and made with almond flour. They are surprisingly moist and tasty.

Almond Banana Muffins

3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups almond flour

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin tins with coconut oil. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth.

Add almond flour and process just enough to combine. Pause, scrape the walls and process just a bit again to combine.

Using a scoop, divide batter in the muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool a few minutes.

Coconut Muffins

Coconut Muffins
from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup full fat yogurt, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 375°F. Either grease 10 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, or line them with papers.

In a small saucepan, warm the coconut oil just until it melts. It should still be on the cool side.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded coconut. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, coconut oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups then sprinkle the top with remaining 1/4 cup coconut, about 1 to 2 teaspoons on each.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out batter-free, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and let cool.

Peanut Butter Muffins

My kids and I love these muffins. I freeze them so we can have them as a breakfast side or a snack anytime.

Peanut Butter Muffins

2 cups white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup milk or coconut milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate

Heat oven to 375 F. Line or grease a standard-size muffin tin - this recipe makes 12 muffins.

In a big bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, mix together peanut butter (microwave for a bit if not soft enough), and coconut sugar until creamy. Stir in milk, mashed banana, and vanilla until mixed. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined. Don't over-mix. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate. Scoop batter into 12 muffin cups until all filled. Bake until a tooth pick comes out clean for 18-20 minutes. Take them out of the tin and let cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.

Morning Glory Muffins

These are the perfect muffins - not overly sweet, loaded with healthy goodies, and moist. I'll be making these many times.

Morning Glory Muffins
from A Sweet Spoonful

For Crumble Topping:
1/3 cup (30g) oats
1/4 cup (30g) whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Muffins:
1 cup (120g) whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup (90g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats
1/2 cup (110g) unrefined cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons whole milk
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 small orange (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup small diced apple (from 1 small apple, cored and peeled)
1 cup (125g) grated carrots (from 2 small or 1 large carrot)
1/2 cup (70g) raisins
1/2 cup (50g) chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the two flours, oats, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, spices and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, yogurt, milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Fold in orange zest, apple, carrots, raisins and walnuts.

Scoop batter into 12 paper-lined muffin tins, filling each almost to the top. Spoon crumble filling on top.

Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown around the edges and feel firm to the touch, even in the center. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Muffins will keep for 2 days if stored covered at room temperature.

Muffins That Taste Like Doughnuts

I've seen this recipe for muffins that taste like doughnuts on several blogs, always with a glowing recommendation. I finally decided to try them, and, wouldn't you know it, they do resemble doughnuts. My husband even ate one and said, "These are really good. They taste like doughnuts." No kidding.

I think the secret to the flavor connection is the nutmeg in the batter which I'm fairly certain is common in cake doughnuts.

Muffins That Taste Like Doughnuts
adapted from lemanada on Tasty Kitchen

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. white sugar
1 whole egg
3/4 c. milk

Topping:
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins (silicone pans work well).

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

Cranberry Muffins

Baked goods with fresh cranberries are such a delight (another cranberry post coming). Found these muffins and loved them - super moist and delicious. Maybe I'll add a little orange zest next time, but they are fabulous as is too.

Cranberry Muffins
adapted from Alice

2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 c fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
raw sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt by whisking. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar using a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed butter and sugar; blend well, scraping sides of bowl. Fold in sour cream. Fold in flour mixture. Fold in cranberries.

Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure to fill 14-16 paper lined muffin tins. Sprinkle tops of unbaked muffins with raw sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Millet Muffins

Millet is a gluten-free whole grain, a staple in Africa, India and Northern China, which may be why I'm not familiar with it. Added raw to these muffins, it provides a delightful crunch. These slightly sweet, slightly lemon flavored muffins are a perfect breakfast food. I made a batch and put half of them in the freezer to pull out as needed. They pair well with strawberry jam.

Millet Muffins
from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

2 1/4 c./10 oz. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c./2 oz. raw millet
1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1 c./8 oz. plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. barely melted unsalted butter
1/2 c. honey
grated zest and 2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, butter, honey, and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the flour is just incorporated. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, spooning a heaping 1/4 cup batter into each one, filling it a bit below the rim.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the muffin tops are browned and just barely beginning to crack. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn the muffins out of the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Cheesy Eggs and Little Citrus Muffins

It's the day before Easter, and though I have a lot to do today, I can hardly resist making a fun breakfast. Tomorrow morning will be rushed, so this is my early Easter breakfast.

I love eggs, especially this recipe for cheesy eggs. It may be my favorite way to eat eggs. With sauteed garlic, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, these eggs are transformed into a savory, creamy blend of yumminess. OK, maybe that wasn't a good description, but you get the idea -- I really love these eggs! Look how these pretty eggs from a local farm matched my napkin (the right one is light blue):

Cheesy Eggs
from The Schwarzbein Principle Cookbook by Diana Schwarzbein

4 eggs
3 oz. cream cheese, cut into ½-in. cubes
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 minced garlic clove

In a small bowl, beat eggs with cream cheese cubes, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Set aside. In a nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is hot and bubbly, add garlic and sauté about half a minute. Pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir and fold gently until cream cheese is melted and eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve immediately.

These citrus muffins can be made with orange, lemon, or lime, but lemon is my favorite. They're very easy to whip up. Once you start eating them, decide beforehand how many you want to eat, otherwise you may end up eating most of them. They're so easy to pop in your mouth that you don't feel like you're eating much. You've been warned.

This time I made one into a regular sized muffin to see if the texture held up. It did - the muffin was very light and airy. So if all you have is regular-sized muffin tins, this recipe will still work great. My guess is the recipe would yield 8 regular muffins (it makes 24 mini muffins).

Little Citrus Muffins
adapted from the Pampered Chef

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange, lemon, or lime zest

Glaze
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 orange, lemon, or lime, juiced

Preheat oven to 375. To make muffins, grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.

In medium bowl, whisk butter and sugar until well blended. Add egg; whisk until smooth. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Add flour mixture; mix until dry ingredients are moistened, but don't overmix.

Using a small scoop or spoon, drop a rounded scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes in pan, then remove. Cool slightly.

While muffins are baking, combine glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth (you may want to add half the orange juice and then taste and adjust by adding more). Dip tops of warm muffins into the glaze. Serve warm.

Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Muffins

I couldn't pass up a bag of Meyer lemons for $2. Meyer lemons are sweeter and less tart than regular lemons. But what to do with them? I made a lemon pudding, which was just okay. I'm in clean up my freezer mode, and I had some frozen strawberries. So for a Sunday breakfast treat, I tried out these muffins. The strawberry and lemon combination was delightful!

Frozen strawberries are a little tricky because they can become juicier and more mushy than fresh strawberries. I defrosted mine just slightly so I could cut them in chunks, but firm enough to be mixed into the batter. I also waited to add the strawberries until I had already mixed in almost all the flour. This reduced the risk of pink muffins.

UPDATE 3/3/12: Just made these with frozen raspberries and highly recommend it!

Meyer Lemon Strawberry Muffins
from My Baking Addiction

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one Meyer lemon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk
2/3 cup (160 ml) melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups chopped, fresh or frozen** strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick cooking spray 12 – 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch muffin cups. Set aside.

2. In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, Meyer lemon juice and vanilla extract.

3. In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest. Gently fold in the berries. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

4. Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Best when eaten day of baking as the strawberries add extra moisture to the muffins.

**If using frozen berries, you may have to bake the muffins a little longer than the stated time.

Honey Oat Muffins

After tasting these Honey Oat Muffins, I would never have guessed they are sugar-free and primarily whole-grain. Yum and yay!

Honey Oat Muffins
Adapted from Food & Wine magazine via Fogg Road Kitchen

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 melted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
optional toppings: pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts or pecans, oats, raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the cups of a muffin pan, spray them with cooking spray, or line with paper muffins cups.

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients: oats through the salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: honey through eggs. Make a well in the center of the oat mixture. Pour the honey mixture into the well and mix gently with your whisk until just combined (mixing too long will toughen the muffins).

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Top with any of the optional toppings you desire. Bake in the center of the oven for about 13-18 minutes, until they’re golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out mostly clean, with some moist crumbs. They overcook easily, so check often.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm, with butter and honey, raspberry jam, or cream cheese.

Cornbread Muffins with Flax

Neither my husband nor I care for cornbread. However, we both love these muffins. These are just slightly sweet and super moist. I love them with chili.

Cornbread Muffins with Flax
adapted from This Week for Dinner

1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Fill 12 lined or greased muffin cups with batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins

Today is a perfect fall day. PERFECT! The sun is shining, the skies are clear, the leaves are turning gorgeous colors (see below - this is across the street from my house), and I've got these muffins to snack on.

Zucchini Apple Spice Muffins
adapted from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups grated fresh zucchini
1/2 cup grated apple
6 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch salt
1 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
couple dashes of ginger
Zest of half of a medium orange or lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Mix in the grated zucchini and apple and then the melted butter. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Add these dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture. Fold in the zest.

Line muffin cups with paper liners. Divide batter evenly among cups – I used a scant 1/4 c per muffin. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 25 to 30 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and let cool another 20 minutes.

Makes approximately 18 muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins

I really like these muffins because they aren't too sweet, so they stay in the muffin category and don't cross over to the cupcake category. I love my silicone muffin pans because no paper is required and they pop right out of the pan once slightly cooled.

Try homemade pumpkin puree - it's super easy, just takes a little planning ahead.

Pumpkin Muffins
from Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of ground allspice
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup moist, plump golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
about 1/2 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds for topping

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Working with a stand mixer, preferable fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add both the sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth . One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after the eggs are incorporated, then beat in the vanilla. Lower the mixer speed and mix in the pumpkin and buttermilk. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until the disappear. To avoid overmixing, you can stop the machine early and stir any remaining dry ingredients into the batter using a rubber spatula. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle a few sunflower seeds over the top of each muffin.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove each one from its mold and finish cooling on the rack.

Banana - Blueberry Muffins

I had one black banana to use up. So I found this recipe and halved it and made mini muffins instead of full-size (I'm obsessed with my mini muffin pan). And they turned out delightful! The banana flavor wasn't too overpowering and they weren't too sweet.

Banana - Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Everyday Food

1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
cinnamon-sugar mixture for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan with baking spray. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.

With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.

Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes (less for mini muffin pan), rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

CSA - Week 11

Watermelon, corn, zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, green pepper, red potatoes, hot peppers, and eggs comprised the week's CSA roundup.

I stuck these muffins in the freezer to pull out as needed. I imagine they'll be a great breakfast companion to eggs.

Savory Zucchini Corn Muffins
from mykitchenaddiction.com

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup corn meal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
3/4 cup corn kernels (steamed and cut off of the cob)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin (regular sized, 12 muffins) with paper cups or lightly grease and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened (be careful not to over mix). Fold in the zucchini and corn.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you haven't read French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, I highly recommend it. The author really opened my eyes to the European culture of fresh, seasonal foods, eating for pleasure, why high quality foods are worth the expense, and walking as the transportation mode of choice. Guiliano describes fruits and vegetables picked from the vine and how delicious they can be with little or no preparation. I remember my mouth watering at her description of a plum (if I remember correctly - it's been a few years since I read it).

When I saw this recipe for a simple tomato salad, I wasn't expecting much. But if the tomatoes are ripe, this is one of my favorite green salads! Actually I need to make this salad dressing for other salads as well - it's very good as well.

The tomatoes in this picture are from my friend's garden. I admire her success - she's a first year gardener.

Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese
adapted from French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

1 bag mixed leaf salad leaves
4 large tomatoes, sliced
2 Tablespoons of shallots, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons vinegar (balsamic or champagne)
6 Tablespoons cold pressed olive oil
4 oz. goat cheese
salt and pepper
4 Tablespoons parsley or basil, chopped (optional)

Place a layer of salad leaves on each plate and then follow with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Salt the tomatoes generously.

Place the minced shallot, mustard, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and mix well.

Crumble the goat's cheese over the tomatoes and season generously.

Top with some of the dressing over the salad. Lastly, top the salad with chopped parsley.

Blueberry Muffins

I've made many blueberry muffins over the years, but never found a special recipe. I found this recipe online and decided to give it a whirl. These were really good! I served these at a church youth breakfast and received several compliments, so I guess they'll be my standard blueberry muffin recipe from now on.

Many muffin recipes I've made lately contain either sour cream or yogurt, and I think that's a key to moist, yummy muffins. In a pinch, substituting sour cream for the yogurt or vice versa has worked for me.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins
from bits-of-taste.blogspot.com

Dry ingredients:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
4 oz or 1 cup blueberries (rinse and pat dry)

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c. coconut oil, melted
3/4 c. sour cream (or substitute plain yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (approx. the juice from one lemon)
grated zest of 1 small lemon

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in blueberries and mix well.

Whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest in a mixing bowl (it will look a bit curdled).

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon into 12 muffin cups until almost full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Test with a skewer, if the skewer comes out clean, the muffins are done. Remove and cool on a rack.

Best served warm, but the muffins will keep for a day in an airtight container. Or freeze extra muffins.

Makes 12 muffins with medium-sized muffin cups.

Rhubarb Buttermilk Muffins

Lovely not-too-sweet muffins with some healthy ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, olive oil, and rhubarb. These are surprisingly light in texture. The author of the blog I got these from, familybites.ca, has several recipes with wheat flour and olive oil in sweet baked goods (check these out from her previous blog, mixingbowlkids.ca: Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes,  Blueberry Yogurt Loaf, Lemon Olive Oil Cake).
 I have enjoyed everything I have tried from both of this delightful cook's blogs.

Rhubarb Buttermilk Mini-Muffins
from familybites.ca as adapted from Canadian Living

2 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups finely diced rhubarb

Crumble topping:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line or oil a mini muffin pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl combine the sugar and oil and stir well. Add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla and incorporate into the sugar/oil mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the rhubarb and stir until just combined.

Spoon into mini-muffin tin. Combine the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle a small amount on the top of the muffin batter. Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown. Makes 32-36 mini muffins.