I have been doing most of my own baking since I was 12 years of age – And although I do not have a cookbooks worth of experience, I have come up with a few good things.
These are a Daylight Saving Time classic to get you over the shock of the time change, get your train out of the station on time (I have no idea what that really means!) or keep you happy, healthy (and by design) more regular than sunrise.
One recipe that I have been making for over a decade is my Winter Storm muffin recipe – and I do reference it quite a lot on my blog as it has evolved some – so here is the remix:
The Dry – mix in a large bowl
2 Cups Whole Wheat flour
2 Cups All-purpose Flour (I often sub out the White flour for 4 whole wheat – yes, it’s healthier)
1 Cup Each; Rolled oats, Corn meal and (oat or wheat) bran – sub in Muesli if you have it.
(A variation for me is using 3 cups of All-Bran for a classic Bran muffin or a sugar free granola mixture)
1/2 to 1 Cup dark brown sugar (I now use 1/2 cup Demerara sugar and/or 1/8th of a cup of black strap molasses for intensity)
1.5 Tbsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Magic Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
1/2 – 1 Tbsp Organic Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 whole fresh ground nutmeg
The Wet Mix
3/4 Cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
3 Eggs
1 Tbsp Organic Vanilla
2 Cups Almond milk OR 2 Cups Goat’s milk OR Yoghurt
Almond milk (sugar free) is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk
and if you like an interesting flavour consider some organic Goat’s milk – great for the lactose intolerant among us.
Add Wet to Dry Mix – Do not over-mix.
I use a Kitchen-aid mixer. Stress on the over-mixing. You do not want to work the gluten in the flour in any way.
Add from 2 to 4 cups of the fruit of your choice – I use finely chopped mango, or apple, or fresh Turkish figs, blueberries, rhubarb or anything in the way of frozen fruit medleys – the sky is the limit. If the fruit falls from the sky, even better.
Another option is 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (any kind) in lieu of single cups of fruit.
A couple of times the mix seemed a little dry after the liquid was added.
Solution: Add a shot glass (2 fluid ounces) of your favourite juice; Orange, Cranberry, Lemon – whatever you have.
Pam spray 2-3 Muffin tins (I use a 12 and a 6)
Use an Ice Cream scoop for loading up the muffin tins – paper definitely not needed!
Bake for 24 minutes in a 375 degree oven or a few moments less in a 350 degree convection oven.– check for degree of done with a toothpick.
Poke the muffins. If the picks come out clean, you are good to go.
Let cool in pans for about 2-3 minutes and then air dry on cooling grid for 10 minutes.
Makes about 18-20 freezer ready muffins.
Ziploc freezer bags are suggested for long term storage. And by long-term I mean 2 weeks because these muffins don’t hang around!
Colin Newell has been a Victoria resident and food writer for over 25 years – His website CoffeeCrew.com has kept readers wide awake since 1995.