Blueberries and Lobster » muffins

Brunch at the Farm, with Carrot Muffins

Jan — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:41:25 +0000

Sunday was warmer, but still grey. The farmer invited us to come have brunch with him. On the menu: spinach fritatta, little pancakes made in a biscuit pan, and carrot muffins I’d whipped up that morning. And coffee, of course, strong and sweet.

We wrapped ourselves up in blankets and discussed exotic fruits, slaughtering chickens, CSA distributions, and the ninja deer who ate the remaning snow-covered kale.

Yes, ninja deer.

And we ate some muffins.

Shredding carrots is obnoxious. I recommend using a mini-prep or food chopper to do the job. We have a mini-prep, but I’ve discovered that my stick blender’s chopper attachment does an equal if not better job, takes up less counter space, and is easier to clean. Anyone in the Portland area want our old mini-prep?

Carrot-Oat Muffins

Wet ingredients:
2 c. shredded carrots
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c. canola oil
3/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. oat bran
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray oil a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Pour dry on top of wet, and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmi. It will seem wetter than muffin batters you might be used to.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, and feed to your favorite farmer.

Early Morning Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

Jan — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:05:13 +0000

I had a meeting with a business partner at ten in the morning. He promised coffee, and I promised healthy baked goods. But I rolled out of bed behind schedule, at eight o’clock, after staying up late playing stupid computer games. (If you must know: Oregon Trail on Facebook, in which I wound up eating half the wagon party.)

What to do?

Muffins, of course. I could eat breakfast muffins for days, and variations are infinite. I was out of eggs, but I did have a box of Ener-G Egg Replacer in the cupboard. I’ve used it in the past when cooking for vegans or those with an egg allergy, but I’ve never used it just because I had no eggs.

Surprisingly, these were good. They didn’t have the gummy, floppy texture that I often associate with baked goods made with egg replacer — I suspect the flax and whole wheat flour helped.

Early Morning Eggless Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 c. ground flaxseed
2 tsp. Ener-G egg replacer (or 1 egg, slightly beaten, if that’s what you prefer)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. raisins

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray oil a muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients (flour through egg replacer) in one bowl, and wet ingredients (milk through maple syrup) in another. Pour wet into dry, stir to combine, and stir in raisins.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes, until muffins are slightly browned and spring back when touched. Cool briefly in the muffin tin, then on a wire rack.