Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

Yesterday was our last day of winter break and after traveling for 10 days and just being go-go-go the entire 2 weeks the kids were out, we decided to lay low.  So we stayed in (it was super cold outside anyway!) and baked!  I have been wanting to use up the dried cranberries I had in my pantry and that's how these Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins came to be...

The kids of course wanted to help but were less than thrilled about these at first.  I think they were all expecting something with chocolate (there's no denying they are my children!) but actually my 6-year old kept saying, "these smell SO good!" as we were making them.

And yes, they are SO good!  I made them split one in case they didn't end up liking them, but I saw my 4-year old grab another off the wire rack a little later on...he thought he was being sneaky.  Only sweetened with pure maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce, so truthfully I'm thrilled that they loved them!  A perfectly wholesome snack for them. 

Makes 12 muffins

Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

1 egg
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim or almond milk
1 1/4 cup oats
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg, maple syrup, coconut oil, applesauce and oats; mix on low to combine.  In a small bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the oat mixture and mix until combined.  Add the cranberries and pecans and mix again.

Divide the mixture evenly into the muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 15-20 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Banana Oat Bread

I don't know about you, but I can't get enough banana bread.  I always have bananas in the freezer so I can make it whenever I like.  This 'clean' version has quickly become a favorite in our house and I don't even think the kids noticed the difference in taste when I cut out the refined sugars! 

Since I make banana bread a LOT, I do try to mix it up a little with different flavors or add-ins.  I loved this oat version - and really thought it came out so pretty!

Kids loved it, husband loved it, I loved it!  Should've doubled the recipe!  Why don't I ever learn my lesson?  Banana bread freezes really well too so feel free to make 2 loaves.  Next time I surely will!

Makes 1 loaf

Banana Oat Bread

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut sugar 

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup buttermilk*
1 cup old fashioned oats

3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, combine the applesauce, honey and coconut sugar.  Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and add to the sugar mixture.  Add remaining ingredients; mix well.  Pour into a well-greased loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*buttermilk substitute: 1/3 cup milk with 1/3 teaspoon white vinegar added; let sit for 5 minutes before adding

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was recently contacted by Chobani to participate in their #MadeWithChobani project.  How fun!  Their Greek yogurt has become a staple in our house and I can't tell you the number of dips, baked goods, dinners, sauces, etc. I've made with it.  But for this, I wanted something special, something decadent.

How about some double chocolate muffins??  Cocoa powder plus dark chocolate chips make up the two chocolate parts of these.  They are a healthy-but-you-honestly-wouldn't-know-it-if-I-didn't-tell-you muffin.  Seriously.  You could make these, slather on some icing (probably using Greek yogurt again!) and call them a cupcake.  Decadent is absolutely a word I would describe these.   

I did half of the chocolate chips in the batter, then sprinkled the other half on top.  You can see that made them sink down in the middle a bit.  If that bothers you, you can put all them in the batter.  But before you decide, let me tell you what happens - the little bites of chocolate chips on top get all melty and it's almost like biting into a truffle.  Mind made up??  Thought so...  

  

The first time I made these, it made exactly 12, but the next time it made 16!  So if you don't overfill the muffin cups (3/4 of the way full is good) then you get a little more out of this batter.  

 Makes 14-16 muffins 

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup Chobani nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, divided in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-cup and a 6-cup muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir to combine.  Add all of the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the dark chocolate chips by hand.  Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop to do this!) and fill 3/4 of the way full.  Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Check at 12 minutes and top with remaining chocolate chips if the tops have firmed up slightly.  If not, check again at 15 minutes, then sprinkle the chocolate chips.  

Carrot and Raisin Morning Muffins

I admit that I'm pretty lucky as far as being successful when trying out new recipes.  Not the case with this one!  The first time I made them, they weren't awful, but man were they dry!  And when something like that happens, I see it as a challenge...I had to get them right! 

I adapted these from a Martha Stewart recipe, which called for white flour and brown sugar.  But I forgot that when substituting whole wheat flour, it's drier so you need to add more moisture.  A little extra milk and some unsweetened applesauce did the trick!

The second batch was awesome!!  Not dry AT ALL and packed with lots of goodies - carrots, raisins, and oats.  Good and good for you - and your kiddos!  These make a perfect after school snack.

Makes 12 muffins

Carrot and Raisin Morning Muffins

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup raisins

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup skim milk

1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 

1 1/4 cup shredded carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until there are no lumps.  Mix in the oats and raisins.  Add oil, egg, milk, honey, applesauce and carrots and mix until blended.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.  Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.  

(Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart)       

Mini Pumpkin Banana Oat Muffins

We can't get enough of pumpkin muffins in our house!  I make them a LOT so I've been trying to come up with a couple of variations on them.  The mini versions are perfect for snacks for my preschoolers! 

Good and good for you - no butter, white flour or processed sugars!  My kids gobble these up!  You can make a double batch to keep in the freezer.  I simply throw a bunch of the muffins in a freezer bag and toss them in.  When you are ready to eat them, just let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours.  They taste like you just baked them!  

This recipe is adapted from my regular Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins.  You could also do those as a mini version - how cute, right?  I do love the little sprinkle of oats on the top of these though.  Hope you enjoy!     

24 mini muffins

Mini Pumpkin Banana Oat Muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats + more for topping

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs 

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 ripe banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add the eggs, honey and applesauce until just combined (do not overmix).  Add the pumpkin puree and banana and mix again.  

Divide the batter equally among the muffins cups (I used a small cookie scoop) to about 3/4 of the way full.  Sprinkle a pinch of oats on top of each muffin.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 15-18 minutes.  Store at room temperature or freeze.  

{Clean Eating} Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I've been working on this recipe for a little while and I FINALLY got it!  I used to make banana bread all the time and now, since we've cut out refined sugars, not so much.  Well, I'm pretty pleased with this recipe - you will NOT miss all the sugar that is usually in banana bread.

It is dense but not dried out.  I used dark chocolate chunks, but you could omit them or substitute them for pecans or walnuts as well.  Banana and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations, plus the kids always request chocolate chips in it!    

And it freezes so well too!  I always make two loaves at a time, but if you had to half it, you could, and it turns out great.  To freeze, let it cool, wrap in foil, then place in a freezer bag.  Freeze for up to 3 months (it won't last that long, believe me). 

  

Yields 2 loaves

{Clean Eating} Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup coconut sugar 

4 cups white whole wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup buttermilk*

6 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using an electric mixer, combine the applesauce, honey and coconut sugar.  Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and add to the sugar mixture.  Add remaining ingredients; mix well.   Stir in the chocolate chips by hand (if using).  Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

*Buttermilk substitute: 2/3 cup regular milk with ¾ teaspoon of white vinegar added and let sit for 5 minutes before adding

Peanut Butter Banana & Oat Muffins

I actually posted this recipe a very long time ago (if you want to see how far my picture taking skills have come, check it out here!).   Also I find it funny that I said my old version was healthy, although it was probably close to the "healthiest" thing I was making back then!  Anyway, I had a craving for them and in an effort to "clean" to them up, I revamped the recipe, but only slightly. 

I replaced the brown sugar with coconut sugar and used natural peanut butter (the 'no need to stir' kind).  The only other thing I would have kept, if I had any on hand, would have been wheat germ.  If you have some, add about a 1/4 of a cup, it certainly won't hurt and it will add iron, calcium and lots of vitamins.  

Coconut sugar is not that sweet, I use it all the time as a replacement to white and brown sugar, but let's face it, it's not the same taste AT ALL.  I think between the banana, peanut butter and vanilla, these were sweet enough for me, but you could always do 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweetened it up slightly.  Although, if you are like me, who is trying to cut out refined sugars all together, I think you'll be fine without it!

Yields 12 muffins

Peanut Butter Banana & Oat Muffins

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 bananas, mashed

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the vanilla, milk and eggs.  Stir until everything is combined.  Add the banana, peanut butter and dark chocolate chips (if using).  Using an ice cream scoop, fill each of the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden on top.

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Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes

Saturday mornings have become synonymous with making pancakes in our house.  We've stopped using a boxed mix and instead whip up a batch of whole wheat pancakes that are out of this world!  Be sure to check out my banana version.

On this morning, we had some strawberries that were just about to get tossed.  Into the pancake batter they went!  Use any berries you like, blueberries would be fantastic as well.  

They are light and fluffy and fool proof.  Perfect pancakes every time!  We tend to make ours pretty tiny and usually we get about 18 pancakes.  Try them this weekend!!

Yields about 18 pancakes

Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 large eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cup milk

1 cup chopped strawberries

butter for frying 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the honey, eggs, milk and whisk until everything is combined.  Carefully fold in the strawberries.  Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat.  Add butter to melt and coat the bottom.  Spoon batter onto griddle or pan, using about 1/4 cup.  When bubbles start to form on the top, flip the pancakes and cook on the other side.  Remove from pan, repeat with butter and batter.  Serve with maple syrup. 

To freeze: place pancakes in a freezer bag.  Heat for a minute in the microwave to serve!

Posts may contain affiliate links.  That means The Art of Comfort Baking will automatically receive a small commission, but your cost will remain the same!  Thanks for your support!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

If you really want to know how good these are, ask me how many my 2-year old and I ate as I was taking these pictures.  No, don't ask...it's not pretty.  Ok, ok...5!!  I'm not proud.  

They are TOO good!!  And not bad for you!  No refined sugars, no butter, no white flour.  

I doubled the original recipe because I knew I wanted to freeze some.  I should have tripled it!  I'll be making these quite a bit, that I'm sure of.   

They freeze so great too.  When I brought our extra batch to room temperature, they were just as good as the day I made them.  My children are addicted and I don't blame them!  They make a perfect on-the-go, out-the-door kind of breakfast or a quick snack between school and ballet for my 4-year old.   

Yields 24 muffins

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup honey
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with liners and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt and baking powder.  Add the eggs, honey and applesauce until just combined (do not overmix).  Add the pumpkin puree until just combined.

Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop).  Each cup should be about 3/4 full.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 18 - 20 minutes.  Store at room temperature or freeze.

(Source:  Adapted from 100 Days of Real Food)

Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread: 100 Days of Real Food

This is one of the most exciting blog posts I have ever written!  I had the privilege of being selected as a Cookbook Ambassador for Lisa Leake's 100 Days of Real Food.  It's the coolest thing!!  She sent me a free signed copy and I get to share a recipe from the book with you.  So much fun!!    

Lisa's book was released on August 26th and when I received it in the mail, I was ecstatic!  I only recently started cutting processed foods out of our diet (and to be honest, we are still not 100% there).  I started following 100 Days of Real Food on Facebook and Pinterest because it seemed like a good starting point.  I was not wrong!  Her blog has helped us transition easily to eating more whole, clean foods in such a real, honest way. 

The cookbook is GORGEOUS!!  And so much great information.  She shares how and why she started on the 100 day challenge to cut out processed and refined foods.  Grocery lists templates, how to navigate the grocery store and what to look for in dairy, meats, etc.  The recipes all look delicious and are quick and easy for super busy families (like me and mine!!).  The Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread is in the lunch box section - which includes tips for packing real-food lunches.  And just in time for school to start again!    

   

I think it was a hit in our house...what do you think?  I was kicking myself for not making a double batch!  But, it's also so easy that I'll for sure be making it again and again.  I found my two-year old son dragging one of his play table chairs across the kitchen floor so he could reach the bread on the counter more than once...    

So this is what you came for, right?  Lisa's recipe for Cinnamon-Raisin Quick Bread.  Lucky you, a sneak peek from the book!  I cannot wait to cook my way through it.  We've already made the Veggie Corn Chowder as well and it was a hit with the whole family.  Enjoy!!  

    

You can find 100 Days of Real Food on Amazon.  

To learn more about the book, watch this video:

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

And yes, they are healthy!!  I added the chocolate chips because I have to have chocolate, but really, the mini chocolate chips compliment all of these flavors so well.  What a great way to get fiber, protein and lots of energy from these tasty, good for you muffins.  The wheat germ is optional, I just threw that in for an added nutrient...if you have it, throw it in for sure.  Wheat germ is an excellent way to get iron, vitamin E, calcium, vitamins A and B...the list goes on and on.  SO good for you!  I highly recommend having it around anyway.  I love how moist these muffins are in the middle.  I also liked having the banana mashed but still a little chunky so you get a bite of it here and there, not just the flavor of it.  These are great for breakfast or as an after school snack...I know you're whole family will love them (this recipe is very easy to double).  

Makes 6 muffins

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, light brown sugar, baking powder and kosher salt.  Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.  Add in the mashed banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Combine all of the ingredients.  Using an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop, fill each cup on the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 25 minutes.