Design-Your-Own Whole Wheat Muffins

Schools were closed again today for a snow day, giving me time to blog about these delicious muffins!  The recipe is a basic whole wheat muffin, but the beauty is that you can completely customize them by adding your favorite fruits, mashed vegetables, nuts, or seeds.

I made a double recipe so we can keep some in the freezer.  For the first batch I made banana walnut and for the second sweet potato with cardamom.  PJ liked the banana better and I liked the sweet potato, but they are both really good.



Design-Your-Own Whole Wheat Muffins
Adapted from Mark Bittman's Whole Wheat Muffins: The Remix

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit/vegetables
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup mashed or puréed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, cooked or canned pumpkin, or other fruits or vegetables
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (Make your own buttermilk: 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 Tbs. vinegar)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the canola oil, mashed vegetable, egg and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.
2. Fill muffin tins; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Let muffins cool in the tins for about 3 minutes before transfering to cooling racks.

Yield: 12 muffins.
Freezes well.