recipe quest

[some_stars]

Being as my very favorite thing to eat in the morning is muffins (with olives and milk), and being as the muffins I usually buy are both expensive and less than healthy when eaten every day, and being as I'm on a cooking kick these days, I'm looking for muffin recipes! Here are my criteria:

1. At least 1/3 whole wheat flour
2. Some/all butter or oil replaced with something lower in fat and/or higher in nutrients
3. Really easy to make, with freezable batter (I don't have room to freeze the muffins themselves). By this I mean I would rather not have to shred a zucchini, although if it's a really great recipe and I can make a ton of batter once and freeze it, I would consider it.
4. Will taste good with walnuts, because I don't believe in sweet muffins without walnuts (pecans are also an option). Unless they're bran which seems too complicated for me right now, but otherwise I require the crunch.
5. Completely delicious and doesn't taste like a Lowfat Healthy Muffin Substitute
6. Doesn't contain anything expensive, especially if it's something I'm not likely to use again soon

I have no feelings one way or the other about eggs; I rarely eat them outside baking so I'm not worried about them nutritionally, but I wouldn't mind an easy substitute. Any recipe suggestions? :D? :D? I'm especially interested in pumpkin or apple spice muffins or anything like that, food that allows me to pretend it's actually winter here.

Comments

[dorothean]

I hope you find some good ones! I ought to eat more healthy muffins for breakfast. At the moment the only muffins I know how to make are banana chocolate-chip ones which are delicious beyond measure, but hardly healthy. I do have the recipe typed up from sharing it with some other people, if you want it, but it doesn't really meet your criteria.

[some_stars]

Heh, well, I am definitely not lacking in muffin recipes filled with butter and white flour. I'm making some like that tomorrow, actually! It's what made me remember to make this post. *g*

[caiusmajor]

The kind I make are called 'Too Sweet and Cake-Like Muffins' in my family, although now the recipe has been adapted to include 2/3 whole wheat flower, they're not nearly as sweet and cake like as the original version. I don't know what would happen if you put walnuts in them, or what would happen if you froze the batter, but they're very simple and quick.

1 egg
1/4 cup cooking oil (I don't know if this matches your criteria 2 or not? I usually just use standard vegetable oil)
1/2 cup milk (soy milk works fine, so does cow milk)
1 cup whole wheat flower
1/2 cup white flower
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine egg, cooking oil, and milk, beat egg. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a different bowl, then dig a hole in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir together until everything is moist. Put in muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes. Makes about 12 standard-sized muffins.