Blueberry Corn Muffins

The problem (for me) with corn muffins is that when I make them I eat one every day for 10 days because Ed doesn’t like muffins and each recipe makes 10 and if there is no one else around to finish them off, I do. This breaks the monotony of my daily yogurt for breakfast, which is nice, but also gets me on a bread-type breakfast for too long and that’s not so good for my waist or weight.

Alas, sometimes I just can’t help myself. I need a corn muffin. And so the cycle begins.

I keep the first two days worth in a plastic bag on the countertop; the remainder I freeze. You’d think I wouldn’t look in the freezer. That I could resist.

But I can’t. These are too good.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup honey

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

1-1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin tins. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the honey, egg, milk and cooled butter, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture and stir to blend the ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 10

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pepitas 

As soon as I see that pumpkins have replaced the corn and tomatoes at the market I start hungering for food that’s autumn-like. Mostly pumpkin bread and muffins to snack on when I need a little something in the late afternoon with my last cup of coffee for the day. 

I don’t make pumpkin muffins as often as I do banana bread, but almost. This is my latest version, which has kefir because I happened to have some in the fridge. But buttermilk is fine too. 

Reheat leftovers in a toaster oven for a few minutes if you need a quick breakfast. 

Btw, I used to bake and mash the pumpkin insides to get the puree, but most of the time I use canned pumpkin or squash. NOT pumpkin pie mix. I want to mix in the spices of my choice, not theirs.

Pumpkin Muffins with Kefir and Pumpkin Seeds

• 3  tablespoons butter

• 1-3/4 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 cup mashed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

• 3/4 cup kefir

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1 large egg

• 2-3 tablespoons crushed pumpkin seeds 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9 muffin tin cups. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, kefir, molasses, egg and cooled, melted butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix only long enough to combine. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin cups. Scatter the pumpkin seeds evenly on top of each muffin. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 9

Oat Bran Muffins

I lied to my second grade teacher once about what I ate for breakfast. We were doing a project on the suggested breakfasts for kids back then and if I can remember correctly, we children were supposed to start the day with a large, calorie filled meal. My aunt Roz, a newlywed who was living with us until she and Uncle Mac could find their own apartment, was in charge of getting us kids off to school. She was also clueless. She gave us coffee with lots of sugar and milk and sent us on our way.

But when Miss Seymour asked about what I ate for breakfast I told her: orange juice, eggs, bacon, toast, cereal and milk.

She sent a note home to my parents about what a big liar I was.

No one actually ate like that for breakfast, especially not children, at least where I grew up. Besides I was really small for my age so Miss Seymour had to know just by looking at me. Even today, though we hear more about the USDA Food Pyramid, most Americans ignore it — read about it and weep here.

I remember that my parents were not as concerned about my diet as they were about the fib. I guess that’s right.

I also think that was the beginning of my Cheerios phase. I still got the coffee though, and I grew to normal size even though people then said that coffee (and cigarettes) stunted a child’s growth.

But breakfast has always been always a problem. I would love the pancake-and-syrup option, but it’s too high calorie. Would love eggs and hash browns, but ditto the problem. So I usually opt for plain Greek-style (I prefer Chobani) yogurt with cut up dried fruit (and more recently, with a jam or preserve from Dagstani & Sons).

But sometimes I need a carb and neither Cheerios nor bagel will do. 

So, recently I tried oat bran muffins, which are quite tasty, not too sweet or caloric, not high in fat and I can freeze them and have a lovely accompaniment to my yogurt. Here’s the recipe:

Oat Bran Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin tin cups. Sift the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a bowl. In another bowl mix the vegetable oil, eggs and buttermilk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is blended and smooth. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 12 

For Tu B'Shevat: Date-Orange Muffins

In case you didn’t know, today is Tu B’Shevat.

Huh?

It’s one of the lesser-known Jewish holidays. I mean, talking about this to the world at large makes me feel like Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were when she cooked a brisket and wished her non-Jewish-Robert Redford husband a “Happy Rosh Hashanah.”

But this is really a good holiday because it focuses on conservation, the earth, preservation. Some call this The New Year of Trees, because it traditionally begins a season of tree planting in Israel. But at the bottom of it all is the notion that we must take good care of the earth, not waste it or trample on it or abuse it to death.

Not a bad notion, that.

Also, Tu B’Shevat food is pretty good. You know there’s a food for every Jewish holiday. That’s just the way we are. There is no particular dish that’s traditional, like a Thanksgiving turkey. This holiday is mostly about fruit, fresh or dried. Anything goes, from chips with fruit salsa to lamb shanks with dried apricots to date-orange muffins.

Date-Orange muffins are wonderful for breakfast or snack but you can also use them as a bread for dinner.

Date-Orange Muffins

4 tablespoons butter

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoons grated fresh orange rind

3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large egg

2/3 cup chopped dates

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9-10 muffin tins. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in the orange rind. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, orange juice, egg and melted butter. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir to blend but do not mix vigorously. Fold in the dates and pecans. Spoon the dough into the muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 9-10