Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffins

A batch of my cinnamon-oat-apple muffins in my old 1930s tins.
Not only are they fun to use -- automatic portion control since they're tiny!

Happy Monday!  I am enjoying the benefits of what feels like an extra hour due to Daylight Saving Time -- everything feels more relaxed today!   

Overall, my GERD symptoms seem to be settling a bit the past few weeks.  No more heartburn and that "feeling of food in my throat" is minimal or gone.   Still daily belching, and this morning I experienced acid reflux, but that has been subsiding as well.  I'm not doing anything different in my diet (except, in fact, eating more chocolate than usual).   The one thing that IS different is improvement in my intestinal patterns.  Maybe in the next blog post I'll address this -- how can we talk guts and leave out all those intestinal tracts!?  I don't think we can!

MUST-HAVE RECIPE:  MY "HORSE" MUFFINS

I found this recipe in the September 2008 issue of Women's Health magazine and make them nearly weekly.  These are my go-to morning snack!   Quite delicious and satisfying, though they ARE a little "wholesome" -- I joke that these are my "horse muffins" as in "something you'd feed your horse for a treat."  

The recipe is very flexible -- you can omit or use different nuts, substitute rolled oats or bran for some of the flour, add raisins or other dried fruit, replace the apple with a pear -- endless combinations!   These call for one egg; I've veganized it by using a "flax egg" but the egg-less version was not as pleasing (though edible).  (If anyone comes up with a good vegan version, let me know!)  I buy my eggs exclusively from a sustainable grocery -- the eggs come from "happy chickens in Western New York" on a small family farm.

Apple-Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffins

1/2 C. oat bran

1 C. whole-wheat flour (substitute 1/2 C. oats or bran if you wish)

1/4 C. ground flaxseed

1 tsp baking soda

1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (I double or triple the amount!)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 egg, beaten (I've tried a vegan, egg-free version of this recipe; it's very dry but ok)

4 T. canola oil  (I always use 3 T. instead of 4)

1/3 C. applesauce

1/4 C. sugar (I always use 1/4 C maple syrup)

1 whole apple, grated (or pear)

1/3 C. chopped pecans (or walnuts, or a combination)

Handful of raisins if you wish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together oat bran, flour, flax, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. In separate bowl, whisk together egg and oil until smooth.  Stir in applesauce and sugar.  Combine mixture and fold in nuts.  At this point, I add the grated apple.  Don't forget to add the juice of grated apple (or pear)!  Fold in raisins if using.

4. Spoon batter into lightly oiled muffin tins.  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until tops spring back when touched.  I usually let these go a few extra minutes so the tops get nice and deep brown.  Place tins on wire rack to cool. 

5.  Remove from tins after 5 minutes or so, and cool on plate.