Do you go in food phases? Or am I just a crazy pregnant lady? Maybe don’t answer that second one. I am in a total muffin craze the last few months. I am either making muffins, planning to make muffins, or thinking out what ingredients I have to make them. The only good thing is that I do try to pick healthy muffins.
These were originally called “Bran Muffins” but my grocery store didn’t have any bran. I think the oats are a great substitute that I always have on hand. These make a great breakfast or snack. And they freeze well for later, so make a big batch! Enjoy!
Whole Grain Muffins (Makes about 12 muffins)
1 cup whole pitted dates (about 6 ounces)
¾ cup orange juice
1 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 medium banana, mashed
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 ¾ cups old fashioned oats
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (optional). Coat liners or pan with cooking spray
2. Combine dates and orange juice in a pan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat; uncover and let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth in a food processor or blender. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; process until smooth.
3. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add date mixture, stirring just until moist. Add eggs, stirring just until combined. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into muffin cups with cups ½-⅔ full.
4. Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.
Nutritional Information (Amount per muffin):
Calories: 197
Protein: 5 g
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 32 mg
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sodium: 214 mg
Recipe Notes: If you use paper liners and have any intention of eating these muffins while warm, you MUST spray them. Once completely at room temperature, they come out of the liner fine. But if they are at all warm (say warmed up in the microwave after freezing), they will stick to the liner and you lose half your muffin. I like a lot of cinnamon flavor in my muffin, so I upped the cinnamon. If you aren’t a big cinnamon fan, keep it to ½ teaspoon. The original recipe says these are good for mixing in other ingredients, such as berries, carrots, nuts, etc. I haven’t tried it myself, since there are already 2 fruits in the batter. But I could especially see shredded carrot and nuts as a carrot cake version being delicious.
Source: adapted from Cooking Light