Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins

I have been baking my breakfast for the week on Saturdays and muffins have been my staple. What can you not love about muffins: it is portable, can be savory or sweet (admittedly, I opt for the sweet ones), and one can stuff them with anything they want.

I have been opting for low- to non-fat muffins so I can have my fat elsewhere (Think peanut butter, people!). I also want to increase my fiber intake so I’ve been using a lot of oats and oat bran. I found this Banana-oat bran recipe in Food.com which I can use as a starter recipe.

Obviously, I have been using this for quite a while and the recipe needs to be cleaned up. I am using this week’s post to do so and share it with you folks.

Here’s what I have for now. Let me know what you think.

Mad Gourmet Applesauce-Oat Bran Muffins

Based on Banana-Oat Bran Muffins from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of applesauce
• 1/2 cup of oat bran
• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar (use white sugar, if you want more rise)
• 1/4 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup of walnuts (optional)
• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)
• 2 Tbsp of butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp of chia seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray.
3. Combine oats, oat bran, applesauce, and vanilla. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
5. Add the melted butter and milk in the applesauce-oat bran mixture.
6. Combine dry ingredients to wet. I usually do the reverse, but in this case there is more wet ingredients and it  is just more practical.
7. Fold in nuts, raisins and chia seeds, if using.
8. Divide batter among 10 muffin cups.
9. Bake about 20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins come clean.
10. Transfer to a rack and cool.
11. Serve warm or just grab one to go.

Verdict

This has been my go-to muffin recipe for breakfast. I have tried other delicious recipes, but this is the one I use most often. I do vary the flavor: maybe using bananas (and coconut oil) for a more tropical twist. I omit the cinnamon and nutmeg though for the banana muffins and boost the vanilla. Sometimes, I add chocolate chips, nibs, or both.

It does use a lot of ingredients, but you can simplify by using just the 1/2 cup of oat bran and 3/4 cup of flour. I really just want to boost my fiber intake. If you want a gluten-free version, you can probably use rice flour or quinoa flour. You may need to bake it 5 minutes more when using quinoa.

Other subs? Almond milk instead of regular milk (dairy does not agree with me too much). I am also watching my sugar intake, so I more often use agave or a combination of thereof. If you use agave, you may end up with breakfast cakes since it would not rise as much.

For a vegan alternative, use olive oil instead of butter or just omit the oil altogether (I have by accident, It will be as moist enough).

Mad about minis: Low Fat Chocolate Banana Nut Muffin for One

Most of my single-serving or mini recipes have been really decadent stuff: lava cake, brownies, coffee cake. This one however, was inspired by a need. I wanted a muffin, but the car was in the shop and I did not want to walk to the nearest bakery (about a 20 minute walk, round-trip). I had time and ingredients on hand, so I thought I’d google and see if I can satisfy my craving.

I found the Blueberry muffin recipe from Chocolate-covered Katie and started with that. It was summer and I had blueberries handy for my cereal. It was perfect… I did later tweak it to add some texture and my current obsession with oats.

Below is what I have so far. Sometimes, I have experimented with different flours, so I’ve tried different combinations (almond, spelt, coconut). The combination below is my most basic one, since these are usually in my pantry. It also simplifies my recipe… for those mornings when I really need coffee.

Low Fat Chocolate Banana Nut Muffin for One

Inspired by Chocolate-covered Katie’s Single-serving Blueberry Muffin

Makes one muffin

Ingredients 

• 3 tsp of rolled oats
• 4 tsp of whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp of brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 4 t of mashed banana (original recipe called for 1T oil - about 2 inches of banana)
• 4 tsp milk of choice (Use less if using liquid sweetener.)
• 2 tsp of walnuts (optional)
• 2 tsp of chocolate chips (optional, but why not!!!)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 330 degrees.
2. Mix first six (dry) ingredients in a ramekin, then add wet.
3. Mix until combined (don’t over mix - but make sure its mixed thoroughly). 
4. Bake for 15 minutes or so. (20 minutes in my toaster oven). Baking time will vary, depending on the flour and oil/applesauce you use.) If this is too long, you can also put this in the microwave for about 90 seconds or so. Remember, microwave times vary.

Verdict

Variation: Peanut Butter Swirl Muffin

It has been a staple particularly if I haven’t baked a batch of muffins over the weekend (or am tired of that batch). I’ve substituted applesauce instead of bananas, and that works just fine.

I also use this as a minimal clean-up recipe: that is why I just mix and eat this off the ramekin. I’ve also got it down so I only use my 1 tsp and 1/4 tsp measuring spoon.

The problem with this is that this can be so good that you wish you baked a big batch of it… or at least two.

Quinoa Applesauce Muffins

Since I work full-time, I often have breakfast on the go. My go-to breakfasts are usually bagel and cream cheese, with a tomato, a pastry, or some sort of muffin. Buying a muffin or pastry every day can be unhealthy, not to mention expensive. You never know what ingredients they use. This is especially important if you have dietary restrictions. As an example, for a while, I was watching my cholesterol, potassium, and phosphorus. A daily dose of store-bought muffins can create havoc in one’s diet.

So starting last year, I decided to experiment on making muffins. I’ve had a number of successes last year mostly experimenting on different flavors, reducing sugar and fat, and using rice flour. This year, I wanted to experiment with using different flours or grains. Since I still have quinoa, I thought this would be a great time to try quinoa muffins.

I made applesauce muffins before, but using regular flour or rice flour (a gluten-free option). I’ve made it so many times that I have made a low fat version. (which can be easily converted to non-fat if you really want to).

Note to self: Blog post on Basic Applesauce Muffins! That is also a good recipe.

I am not sure exactly what proportion to use with quinoa, but most recipes recommend about 2 parts flour to 1 part quinoa ratio. As I prepared the batter, I found that a 1:1 ratio is better (maybe because the quinoa is a bit mushy).

Mad Gourmet's Quinoa Applesauce Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

•  Cook about 1/3 c of quinoa per package directions. I usually just cook a cup and leave the rest for later use (pancakes or side dish).
•  Melt the butter on stovetop for mixing (You can do this while you are prepping your dry ingredients; If I am having burgers for lunch, I save the pan to cook the burger for that yummy buttery flavor).

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin tin.
2. Sift together the flour, quinoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, applesauce and eggs.
4. Beat wet ingredients in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Spread batter into prepared pan.
6. Scoop into muffin cups.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, Test to see if a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.

Verdict

I really enjoyed these muffins. The quinoa added a great texture and a protein boost.  I did expect a crunchier consistency, but maybe next time, I’ll toast the quinoa first.

I think for next time, I would use some baking powder to give it a bit of a rise.

Also, I wish I read this article from lunchboxbunch.com on how to cook fluffy quinoa before I got started.