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Pumpkin Millet Muffins

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Goodness, I think I bake way too many muffins around here.  It’s just that they’re so perfect for a quick breakfast,  packing for lunches, and they always seem to hit the spot when I’m in the mood for eating something sweet but not too sweet.  And it’s 15 minutes to make the batter, 20-25 minutes in the oven, and then they are done!  It’s instant gratification in the kitchen.

Pumpkin millet muffins are one of my favorite variations of the more traditional pumpkin bread.  It has all of the warm flavors and spices that you would expect from a pumpkin muffin, but the addition of toasted millet adds extra nutrients and a little crunch.  It’s really quite lovely.  I used coconut sugar as the sweetener as coconut sugar has been one of my top alternatives to refined sugar lately.  It has some caramel undertones to it so I find that it works well as a substitute in recipes that call for brown sugar.  The coconut flavor is hardly noticeable at all in these muffins.  I only used 1/2 cup of sugar since I prefer my muffins not to be overly sweet (theses are muffins after all, and not cupcakes), but go ahead and increase the sugar to 3/4 cup if you prefer a sweeter muffin.  Also, note that this recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree for 12-muffins.  Since most canned pumpkin comes in 15-ounce cans, I usually double the recipe and just use the entire can of pumpkin.  Serve these warm from the oven or these also store well in the freezer for later.

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Pumpkin Millet Muffins
Serves: 12 muffins
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup millet
  • 1¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup plain yogurt
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter or line a 12-cup muffin pan.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the millet and stir with a wooden spoon until millet starts to pop and becomes golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer millet to a small bowl to cool.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add millet to the flour mixture and stir to incorporate.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk, butter, pumpkin, and coconut sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  5. Divide muffin batter among prepared muffin cups.
  6. Bake 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
adapted from Whole Foods
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Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins

Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins

The very first oat bran muffins that I ever really liked came from a little bakery near our house in one of our old neighborhoods.  It was always such a treat to go there on Saturday mornings and bring home warm freshly baked muffins to go along with our morning tea and coffee.  Since we no longer live near that bakery, I miss my favorite oat bran muffins and I have been wanting to recreate a recipe similar to that one.  I’ve tried several oat bran muffin recipes, but I’ve never truly been satisfied with the results.  These Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins finally turned out exactly the way I wanted them to.  They are completely whole-grain, moist, and lightly sweetened with honey.  I adapted them from  Cookie + Kate’s Blueberry Honey Bran Muffins by using oat bran instead of wheat bran and increasing the flour to bran ratio.  I also added vanilla to complement the flavor of the nectarine, which intensifies and sweetens with baking.   For the best results, choose nectarines that are ripe, but not too soft.  As with any muffin recipe, fruit such as berries or raisins can be substituted for the nectarines, but the nectarines really are lovely in these muffins.  I love these warm from the oven, but they can also be frozen for longer storage.

Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins

Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins

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Nectarine Oat Bran Muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup oat bran
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ⅓ cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large nectarine or 2 small nectarines, small diced
  • 2 teaspoons raw turbinado sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325. Grease or line 12 muffins cups.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk the egg. Add the buttermilk, oil, honey, and vanilla.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
  5. Gently fold in the diced nectarine.
  6. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with a little turbinado sugar.
  7. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Adapted from Cookie + Kate

 

 

 

 

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Honey Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Lemon Chia Seed Mufffins

Today it was cloudy and rainy and the forecast for the entire week is…. cloudy and rainy.  So I made Honey Lemon Chia Seed Muffins!  Nothing like a little lemon to brighten up a cloudy day.  These whole grain muffins are made with spelt flour, sweetened with honey, and contain omega-3-rich chia seeds.  Spelt flour is officially part of the wheat family, but it has a higher protein content and is more easily digested than the more common wheat.  (Although it does contain gluten and is not gluten-free.)  These spelt muffins are tender and moist and best eaten warm out of the oven.

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Honey Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups spelt flour
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • ½ cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400. Grease or line 12 muffins cups.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs. Add the yogurt, honey, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix.
  5. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
inspired by Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins from Lorna Sass's Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
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