There always seems to be a few bananas on death’s doorstep in the banana bowl sitting on top of the refrigerator. I am not sure how this happens but it is a regular occurrence in my kitchen. So then one must make the big decision, banana loaf or banana muffins? Today the muffins won.
Looking back at all of the muffin recipes I have posted I was shocked that there was no bran muffins there!! Like really…everyone needs to have a healthy Bran Muffin recipe. So I went searching in my notes for my go-to recipe for bran muffins. This time I spiced it up a bit and the family thought they were delicious- didn’t tell them they were healthy too! For the fat in this recipe I decided to try olive oil instead of canola and with all of the spices you can’t distinguish the olive flavour, but because olive oil is so much better health wise you should try it.
Baked Oatmeal was something I had never experienced until we had the pleasure of staying at the Captain Swift Inn Bed&Breakfast in Camden, Maine. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend this B&B, the 3 course breakfast that was served each morning was incredible. The owner, Linda, was nice enough to share her recipe for baked oatmeal with me and I am now sharing with you! I have changed her original up just a bit (hope she doesn’t mind!). Baked Fruit Oatmeal is an easy and delicious way to make breakfast for a gang. Another option is to bake it Sunday night and you have your breakfast ready to go for the week- just reheat a portion. Either way, enjoy it warm with some milk or maple syrup poured over it or if you are feeling indulgent a dollop of freshly whipped cream and maple syrup. That would be really amazing.
Apple Cinnamon muffins a wonderful way to fill the kitchen with wonderful aromas. These muffins are full of diced fresh apple and those lovely autumn spices- cinnamon and nutmeg. I wanted to marry up the amazing taste of apple pie with the satisfying bite of muffin without the overwhelming sweetness of a dessert and I think it hit it with this recipe.
Late fall is harvest time for cranberries here in Northern Ontario. The beautiful red jewelled berries grow in marshy areas and you need good rubber boots to go picking them. These berries are quite tart and most recipes incorporate them with a lot of sugar to balance the tartness but I like to let the tartness shine through. This recipe for Fresh Cranberry Lemon Muffins is the perfect backdrop to showcase the tart flavour of the little berries. The lemon zest and cardamon spice play up the cranberries quite nicely.
The heat of summer means a lot of things in our part of the woods and the tastiest thing is wild blueberries! The heat also means that food ripens faster and doesn’t last as long so therefore those bananas sitting on the counter end up over-ripe and perfect for baking. Lucky for me blueberries and bananas go well together. Making muffins requires that you only have to have the oven on for a short time in order to bake up a batch and the result is so worth it. I am so glad we installed air-conditioning a few years ago so I can still bake during the heat waves.
So it is a Saturday morning at the lake and you have your niece and nephew visiting and it is already 25 ºC outside and they expect some home baking for breakfast – what do you do? Well you could make muffins that tastes just like a donuts. Yes, that really is something you can do! The oven won’t be on too long and if you bake them nice and early you won’t melt. At least that is what I tried to tell myself! A swim afterwards will help.
Berry Muffins – tender and moist packets filled with raspberries and blueberries. These muffins make a decadent breakfast treat or a wonderful afternoon pick-me-up. They are so yummy you could even serve these with ice cream for a casual dessert. So what ever time you decide to have one of these you will be smitten with the burst of berry flavour.
The batter comes together quickly in a bowl and like most muffin recipes, no electricity required! Melt the butter in the microwave and let is come to room temperature. When you do whisk the wet ingredients together it will resemble curdled milk but that is fine, it will all work out. When folding the berries in, add them just before all of the flour is incorporated so that the berries won’t all be broken up. Fresh berries work best in this recipe, but you can use frozen blueberries, just toss them with a teaspoon of flour first before you add them to the batter.
The next rhubarb recipe is Rhubarb Crumble Muffins…delectable parcels of tangy goodness with brown sugar crumble on top…yummy! This is happiness tucked inside a muffin. You will be hard pressed to stop at one after devouring this morsel.
The recipe itself is very similar to the Rhubarb Coffee Cake, so it is quick and easy to mix together. One of the differences is the spice cardamon that is in the batter. It gives a little spark to the taste. Before you know it the smell of fresh muffins will be wafting out of your oven.
Breakfast to go – muffins! Having a batch of muffins made for the week ensures you have a quick and healthy breakfast ready or an afternoon snack calling your name. The dates and raisins make the muffins moist and add huge flavour. I love the addition of the the lemon and orange zest – it just brightens up the flavour of the fruits.
