MAKE AHEAD BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Walk out the door -- adult or child -- with these in hand and the morning's off to a great low-guilt start

Healthy Lower-guilt Apple, Carrot & Walnut Breakfast Muffins, Prepare Ahead

photo 4/9/16

Short of going vegan, you may never find a healthier breakfast muffin than these.  The recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma's The Essentials of Baking, usually better known for delicious but incredibly indulgent (read: high sugar) baking.  

These muffins are aimed at the health conscious and contain: 

• high fibre wholemeal flour
• grated apple
• grated carrot
• gut-friendly dairy
• surprisingly low amounts of butter
• relatively low sugar.

Almost all the prep can be done the night/day before. Whisk the egg, yoghurt and vanilla; cling film & refrigerate.  You can even grate the carrot and apple in advance but remember to drain them before adding to the mix. 

Turn the oven on as soon as you get up & melt the butter; stir the egg mix, add cooled butter and mix into dry ingred.  Add fruit, blend and less than 20 minutes later, breakfast is on the table or ready to go.  

The day after baking, the muffins still taste wonderful and, once cooked, freeze well for a month.  

The frozen versions are maybe 95% as good as fresh but with the nights drawing in will be a welcome addition to a hot cuppa. 

The muffins would go down well at a MacMillan's Coffee & Cake morning. 

Cost: £2.50
Makes: 11 good sized muffins

Ingred:

   75gm/2.5oz plain white flour
   75gm/2.5oz wholemeal flour
   10gm/1/3oz oat or wheat bran or ground almonds 
     1 tsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/8 tsp salt
     1/2 tsp cinnamon
     75 gm/2.5oz soft brown sugar

     1 large egg
     187ml/6oz buttermilk OR 125 gm yoghurt plus 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk (or water)
     30gm/1oz unsalted, melted butter
     1/2 tsp vanilla extract

     75gm/2.5oz grated tart apple or pear
     90gm/3oz finely grated carrot
     zest of an orange

     30gm/1oz coarsely chopped walnuts plus 45gm/1.5oz sultanas soaked overnight in orange juice & drained OR finely chopped fresh pineapple, drained well


Method:

1. Generously grease a 12 hole muffin tin with unsalted butter or brush with sunflower oil or line with paper cups (do this the day or night before)
2. Measure all the dry ingredients into a large bowl; mix well; check the sugar has no lumps
3. Preheat oven to 400f/200c/180fan
4. In a small jug, beat the egg; whisk in buttermilk or yoghurt mix, vanilla and cooled melted butter
5. Pour wet into dry ingredients; stir until everything is amalgamated (a whisk is helpful here)
6. Add apple, carrot, zest plus extras if using;  mix well, scraping sides & bottom of bowl with spatula to ensure all is incorporated
7. Use a 2 inch/5cm ice cream scoop to fill muffin tins 3/4 full
8. Place in the centre of the oven; bake 15-18 mins
9. Cool in tin 2 mins, then release muffins onto cooling rack

Tips:

• if you're still weaning yourself or your family off sugar, more sweetness may be required; mix a couple of teaspoons of sugar with half a teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle this over the tops of the muffins before baking  
• for an adult version, replace cinnamon with dried or freshly grated ginger, sultanas with finely chopped candied ginger or drained ginger in syrup and orange zest with lemon zest
• for a common-wheat-free option, use spelt flour

Comments:

'A very good muffin; I couldn't tell it had been frozen.' Political Agent. 

                                           More muffins on NavBar: Recipes I/Baking

Please leave a Comment on the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.