Sunday, September 2, 2012

Cranberry Walnut Applesauce Muffins


Making good food for my family brings me this sense of satisfaction that nothing else quite can. I felt that satisfaction after making these muffins. They are hearty, moist, and super tasty! And the fact that they have applesauce in them makes me even more happy. The applesauce allows the muffins to retain their moistness, without eggs or a large amount of oil. The recipe does call for oil, but you could experiment with all applesauce (just substitute on a 1 to 1 ratio: 1/2 a cup of applesauce to 1/2 cup oil, etc.).

I originally made these with dried cranberries and fresh pears, and they were delicious. The next time I made them, I added ground English walnuts instead.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. ground flax seed mixed with 6 Tbs. water
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups applesauce
1/2 cup cooking oil (or increase the amount of applesauce by 1/2 cup)
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup ground walnuts

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray lightly with cooking spray. You may not use all the liners, but be prepared just in case.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine flax seed mixture, brown sugar, applesauce and oil (if using). Add wet ingredients to dry, and fold and stir gently to combine well. Mix in cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. I used a large ice cream scoop and one scoop was a perfect fit. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown or a toothpick or skewer inserted into a muffin emerges clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tins and serve warm.

My toddler son has requested these for breakfast the past two mornings in a row.
"Mommy, muffin." "Charlie, would you like a muffin?" "Yes, pease." "Ok, baby, you can have a muffin!" (Smiling on the inside, because I know he's getting the good stuff.)

Enjoy!



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