Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Healthy Muffins That Taste Good


I invented a muffin recipe last night. I don't know what to call it. Fibre Packed Muffins That Don't Taste Crappy? I don't know, but if you try these and you like them, maybe you can help me come up with a name. I really like these muffins, and so do my daughter and husband. They have coconut in them, so if you're avoiding that, omit it. It will still work out.

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins (we use Sun Maid)
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (we use Sun Maid)
  • 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (we used Let's Do... Organic! Coconut and have verified they don't use peanuts/other nuts)
Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 F.
In a small bowl, combine milk and oats; let soak for 15 minutes.
Add egg and oil after that time, then stir. In a large bowl, sift together flours, wheat germ, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir wet ingredients into dry, until just combined. Add raisins, coconut and chopped dried apricots. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. When the muffin springs back up when you touch it, it's done.

Best Ever Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies


These are soft, chewy and delicious ginger molasses cookies with gorgeous sparkling sugar on the outside. They are absolutely, hands-down, my favourite cookie of all time.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 cup of brown sugar (we use golden brown)
1 slightly beaten egg
1/4 cup of fancy molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a medium bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Blend dry ingredients into wet. Cover and chill dough for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into one inch balls, then roll in white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I used a silpat, and they turn out great). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until tops are a little crackly. Cool on sheet for five minutes, then place on wire racks to cool further. To keep the cookies soft, chewy and fabulous, place a piece of bread in a covered container. It really works. They'll stay fresh-baked soft until they are gone.