Christmas Gift #7: A Healthy Muffin Recipe

My husband brought home some leftover muffins from work for our weekend breakfasts.   (He says there is always a rush on Friday to get to the kitchen to see what is leftover—muffins, bagels,  coffee cake.)   He is great about “making” breakfast on the weekends!  🙂  (More about his cooking style later.)

One of the muffins in the “doggie bag” was a oatmeal-topped bran like muffin.   It was spicy, homey and delicious.

As I have a breakfast meeting this week at 7:00 a.m. and as my group always expects homemade muffins, Sunday was my day to get these done.

For the next couple of Christmas Gift posts, expect some ideas for muffin baskets.

Here is the first installment of Christmas Gifts 2011:  The Muffin Installments.

Flax-meal Muffins with Yogurt and Raisins

1 stick butter, softened
1/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 c.  plain Greek yogurt
1/4 c. dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 c. jumbo mixed raisins
1 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 c. golden flax seed meal
1/8 c. old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin tins with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy   (3-5 minutes).  Beat in egg.  Add yogurt and molasses and beat until incorporated.   Stir in raisins.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and flax seed meal.   Add to sour cream mixture and stir until just combined.  (Do not over mix.)

Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full.  Sprinkle each muffin with a bit of the oats (as much or as little as you like.)   Bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, 15-20 minutes.   Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.

I adapted this recipe from Sour Cream-Bran Muffins from my beloved yellow Gourmet cookbook.

Ruth Reichl calls these the “Rolls Royce of bran muffins.”   Since I added flax meal instead of bran, I am calling them the “Bugatti of Flax Muffins.”  (I like to aim a bit higher! 🙂 )

Ready to take to the next door neighbor’s for a holiday gift, or to a party as a hostess gift, or simply to grace a holiday buffet brunch table.

But seriously, these are very tasty and would be great in a pretty basket.   Line the basket with a cloth napkin and complete the gift.

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3 comments to Christmas Gift #7: A Healthy Muffin Recipe

  • These are a perfect way to start the day. A lot of the sweeter types of things-donuts, waffles, pancakes just do not have the staying power of a whole grain hearty muffin like this, so I am glad you posted this recipe. While they do have sugar in them, they will not put you on a sugar high. I am sure that everyone enjoyed your muffins, I know I would have! Well done!

  • I have a weird thing about me…I love to collect bran muffin recipes and rarely make them. Oh, wait, I do that with all recipes! hahaha! But I’m adding this one to my list! 🙂

  • Haha the Bugatti of Flax Muffins…you should have titled your post that way! A nice healthy option to a muffin morning meeting.