Apple & Cranberry Muffins with Granola Topping

What's worse than being sick all weekend? Being sick on your birthday weekend.

That's right.. as soon as we got done with a lovely Italian birthday dinner Friday night, I could feel my body starting to shut down and was in bed by 9... lame.

So while I should have been out celebrating all weekend, I was instead curled up on the couch surrounded by tissues, cups of hot tea and way too much medicine.

Come Sunday morning I was ready to do something; still not feeling particularly keen, I was determined to get in the kitchen and bake something anyways.

Not being able to sleep the past few nights turned out to be a great time to brainstorm some new recipe ideas.

Mountain Man said he could taste the healthy in these muffins (but in a good way he insisted) and I need all the health I can get right now, so I was by no means offended.

So if you're needing a little healthy in your life or just looking for something delicious for breakfast, these are the muffins for you.

Apple & Cranberry Muffins
swEEts original
Oven: 375 Bake time: 20 minutes
Makes 12 muffins

1 cup AP flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup pear sauce* or apple sauce
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Granola Topping *optional
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup bran flakes, crushed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4-1/2 cup honey
To make granola topping, mix all ingredients in a small bowl- adding just enough honey to coat ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, add flours, sugar, flax seed meal, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a small bowl, mix egg, yogurt and pear(or apple) sauce.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well with wooden spoon.
Fold in diced apples and cranberries.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill muffins 2/3 way full.
Generously sprinkle granola topping on top of each muffin.
Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Because I was out of apple sauce I got a little creative and made my own pear sauce.. it was very easy to make and turned out to be quite delicious- easily substituted for apple sauce.


Pear Sauce (Just enough for the muffin batter)
2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
1/4 cup water
2 TBS sugar

In a small sauce pan, cook water and pears over medium heat.
Bring to boil and allow pears to soften- about 5 minutes.
Transfer pears to food processor, add sugar and pulse to puree.

What do you do when you're sick?

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Until this past weekend, I had been out of my kitchen for 2 weeks due to a business trip! 14 days people..

Do you know what that means to an avid kitchen goer??

Torture.

Luckily I had some recipes in the arsenal so the blog wasn't out of commission while I was gone, but the entire two weeks I was locked up in my hotel room all I could think about was what I was going to make when I got home.

I arrived home Saturday night, greeted by my adoring boyfriend and spent the early evening feasting on some good ole Texas BBQ with some friends.. delish.

Sunday morning the kitchen was going to be mine.

Eating the same stale bagels, raisin bran and yogurt (not all at the same time, I had a rotation going) for 14 days does a toll on ya..so healthy(ish) and delicious were two prereqs for my Sunday morning bake sesh.

Bananas in the freezer + peanut butter in the cabniet + mini chocolate chips= perfect muffin combo.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
A swEEts original
Oven: 375 Bake Time: 15 minutes
Makes 8 muffins

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup crushed bran flakes (crushing 1 cup of bran flakes=1/2 cup crushed)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 ripe banana, mooshed
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 TBS oil
1/4 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips * optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flour, flax seed meal, bran flakes, baking powder and soda.
In a small bowl, whisk egg, oil and vanilla yogurt. Add smooshed banana, peanut butter, honey and continue to whisk until blended.
Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and mix with wooden spoon until well combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Using an ice cream scoop, place one heaping scoop in each muffin cup.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until muffins bounce back to touch and are lightly browned on top.

Mountain Man said: "You can taste the healthy in these...but in a good way"

Happy Baking!

Good Morning Muffins

I realized I hadn't made muffins for breakfast in a good while so I knew it was time... And what a perfect way to spend the morning after a night full of karaoke (MM and our friend Dan sang 'A Whole New World'- yes, the Disney song- hilarious)

I honestly look forward to the weekend not just for the enjoyment of getting to spend it with my Mountain Man, getting to sleep in, and pool it up, but to bake... especially in the morning.

Since my body hates me and thinks its funny to still wake me up before 8am on the weekends, I usually use this as prime time to get going in the kitchen for breakfast baked goods.

I recently bought a package of flax seed meal (super health food and egg substitute.. who knew?!) and noticed a recipe on the back for muffins...obviously this meant that I had to give them a go with a few minor alterations. I also halved the recipe since it was just me and MM, but still ended up with about 7 regular sized and two large muffins, even though the original recipe said it only yielded 15 (maybe they meant large muffins?). I'll write up the original, but also put the half version in parentheses.

A little bit on the healthier side, these muffins are sure to get any morning started right.

Good Morning Muffins
Recipe adapted from Bob's Red Mill "Bran Flax Muffins"
Yields about 15 muffins (or 10)
Oven: 375 Bake Time: 20 minutes

1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup crushed bran flakes or oat bran (1/4 cup + 2 TBS)
3/4 cup flax seed meal (1/4 cup + 2 TBS)
1/2 cup brown sugar (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup honey (1/4 cup)
2 tsp baking soda (1tsp)
1 tsp baking powder (1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt (1/4 tsp)
2 tsp cinnamon (1 tsp)
2 apple, peeled and shredded (1 apple)
1 1/2 cup carrots, shredded (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup raisins (1/4 cup)
2 eggs, beaten (1 egg)
3/4 cup buttermilk (1/4 cup + 2 TBS)
1 tsp vanilla

Topping* optional
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oats
2 TBS flour
3 TBS chilled butter

Add sugar, oats and flour to a small bowl and mix. Cut butter into small cubes and add to sugar mixture. Using two knives or a fork, cut in butter until distributed and incorporated into dry ingredients. (you're looking for a crumby looking mixture)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients.
Shred apple and carrots (I used a cheese grater for the apple and food processor for carrots).
Add apple and carrots to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Pour honey into mixture.
In a small bowl beat egg, milk and vanilla.
Pour egg/milk mixture into dry-carrot/apple mixture and mix until combined- you'll have a pretty chunky batter.
Fold in raisins.
Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 2/3 way up.
Sprinkle with topping *optional.
Transfer pan to oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Let cool in pan for about 10-15 minutes before removing for consumption.

Happy Baking!!

What did you have for breakfast this weekend??