Martha Monday: Hearty Blueberry Muffins

While I have to admit that I usually prefer my baked goods to be heavy on the decadent ingredients that
make them oh-so-tasty, every once in awhile it's not so bad to have a pure, healthier baked treat that really allows all of the natural flavors to shine through. Not to mention, I have a pantry full of whole-wheat flour and wheat germ that I wasn't really sure what to do with : )

I actually reduced the brown sugar in this recipe to 1/3 cup with no issues, and you could try replacing the oil with applesauce or banana puree to cut down on fat content as well--though I have to admit that the hint of tropical flavor coming through from the coconut oil in this recipe is really delightful.

At 135 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein per muffin, these little cakes make a great afternoon snack to fill you up and keep you going til the end of the work day. Or anytime really, these muffins are awesome! :)

Hearty Blueberry Muffins
     from Martha Stewart
     makes 12-14
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted, or safflower oil
2 large eggs
8 oz fresh blueberries (about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together brown sugar, yogurt, oil, and eggs in another large bowl. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture and gently mix until just combined. Fold in blueberries with a rubber spatula.

2. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely.

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Peach Streusel Muffins

Happy National Peach Month!! After a slice of delicious Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie, the peach parade continues with what turned out to be somewhat unfortunate peach muffins...

So, have you ever had that moment in the middle of cooking where you realize things are not exactly going the way you planned? For me, that moment happened with these biscuits err, muffins when I noticed that the dough was getting pretty thick. Really thick. And sticky. We're talking, like, pizza dough.

Then, rather than getting mixed by the mixer, the batter proceeded to actually CONSUME the beaters and become entirely wrapped around the mixer in a giant ball. It was awesome.

Having double and triple checked the recipe, I refuse to admit that this could possibly have been user error :)  Honestly, I think Betty Crocker was just a little off in their liquid measure for this recipe and next time I would definitely up the milk or maybe add oil or sour cream instead. To be fair these muffins were still tasty when warm, but just a little too dense and pancakey for my taste once they cooled.

 Peach Streusel Muffins
     from Southern Living 

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened  
1/3 cup sugar 
1 large egg  
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3/4 cup milk  
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peeled peaches, chopped 
1/4 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
2 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine

1. Beat 1/2 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add 1/3 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until blended.

2. Combine 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract, and fold in chopped peaches.

3. Spoon muffin batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan, filling two-thirds full.

4. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon; cut in 2 1/2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over muffin batter.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

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The Boys of Baking

Don't get too excited ladies, we're not talking about the new 2011 Calendar you can expect under your tree this year :) Since beginning my blog, I've gotten to hear great stories from my friends about their baking exploits.  Surprisingly, a number of these came from my guy friends, eager to share that they, too, liked to bake the occasional cupcake or had learned to bake the most incredible fruit pies with their grandfathers growing up.  And so, in their honor, I am starting the Boys Who Bake series on The Cupcake Avenger.  Please join me in welcoming my second-ever guest blogger and super brave friend Matt Sullivan who agreed to be featured in volume 1!  Hit me up at cupcakeavenger@gmail.com if you'd like to be considered for the next installment of Boys Who Bake!

 

I was invited this week by my friend Hilary to write a guest spot for the "Cupcake Avenger". Yes, I am a male. And yes, I just successfully baked something. I consider this a minor victory for men everywhere. 

This may be blasphemous, but I decided to make my medium muffins vice cupcakes. And muffins are just bald cupcakes, right? :)

I spent some good time looking at recipes for this venture, and narrowed my focus down to creating something healthy I could bring back to my office, as we are constantly inundated with all sorts of caloric-packed treats. I finally landed on Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins, and found the healthiest recipe I could find. However, I currently live in the Middle East, and finding everything I needed for this was difficult and/or impossible. I did the best I could. 

The baking was actually quite fun. I am already ready for an encore. Perhaps if Hilary will host me again in the future I can take a crack at something a wee bit more complicated. 

When it was all said and done, they turned out rather flat looking, but they are delicious! It's an added bonus knowing they aren't completely terrible for you. 

*It is of note to point out I listened to rock music while I was baking to make this experience as masculine as possible. 

Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it out as well:

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup flour

1 3/4 cup uncooked oatmeal

5 Tbs Splenda brown sugar blend

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup Egg Beaters or 1 egg equivalent

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 Tbs vanilla extract

1 to 1 1/2 cups blueberries (thawed, if frozen)

1 Tbs Splenda

1 Tbs ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375° F and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar blend, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a spoon.

3. In a small bowl, using a spoon or fork, combine vanilla extract, skim milk, Egg Beaters, and apple sauce.  Mix well.

4.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and beat until ingredients are well-blended.  Fold in the blueberries.

5. Pour an equal amount of batter into each cup until cups are about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

6.  Combine Splenda and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over muffins.

7.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Each muffin provides approximately 115 calories, .9 g fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 120mg sodium, 21.9g Carbohydrates including 2.1g of Dietary Fiber and 8.3g Sugar and 3.8g Protein

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Where have all the bake sales gone?

Next week I’m participating in what must be one of the oldest of those time honored traditions: the Bake Sale. After jumping at the chance to donate a baked good for this upcoming charity sale at work, I began to wonder when was the last time I’d even come into contact with a bake sale? And, no, Girl Scouts outside the supermarket don’t count. Short of church fellowship meetings and elementary school lobbies have bake sales gone the way of the lemonade stand? (And don’t even get me started on the extinction of the Cake Walk…) Anyways, as I eagerly plan what to provide for the sale I’m looking for any suggestions of bake sale favorites, as I’m guessing the charity planning committee will have more lemon bars than they know what to do with.

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