Whole Wheat Pumpkin Poppers

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

I have tried DOZENS of blueberry muffin recipes over the years hunting for the perfect muffin. Most of the ones I tried had the consistency of a  biscuit but I prefer cakelike bakery muffins.

Some passed the white flour test but failed miserably when I substituted whole wheat flour. I almost gave up on the possibility of making a delicious 100% whole wheat blueberry muffin, but I'm glad I persevered.

I am happy to say that I have FINALLY found the PERFECT Blueberry Muffin recipe!

And, Yes! It tastes just as delicious when using 100% whole wheat flour!

(top image is white flour, right is whole wheat).

So where did this elusive recipe come from? It originated from a blueberry white chip muffin recipe from http://verybestbaking.com/ but of course I had to modify it to suit my specifications... Here is the modified recipe:

BEST Blueberry Muffins!

2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg
1 cup milk

Zest of one lemon (1 1/2 teaspoons)

1 1/2 to 2 cups blueberries

Walnuts, optional

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup organic brown sugar (or 1-2 tablespoons of honey)

1/3 cup oats (optional)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or oil muffin cups (12 to 18).

Cream sugars with butter then stir in vanilla, egg and lemon zest (do not omit zest it adds great flavor). Mix dry ingredients and stir with wet alternately with milk. (I like to add dry ingredients right on top of the wet and just mix it with a fork a little before incorporating into the wet- saves an extra bowl...)

Fold in blueberries and walnuts if desired. Spoon into muffin pans filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with Streusel Topping. Oats are optional in the topping (pictured in the whole wheat version) and I find it easier to mix with a fork if the butter is at room temperature.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*I highly recommend using freshly ground whole wheat flour. If you use store bought whole wheat flour you should definitely use King Arthur brand, it's the only one I've used that resembles fresh ground whole wheat.

*You can also use 1/2 cup of honey instead of both sugars. And use 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey in place of sugar for the topping. The flavor and texture isn't quite as rich, but it still works. 

Pumpkin Pie with crumb topping

Read my post here on how to cook a pumpkin- seriously it only takes 10 minutes in the microwave and I promise fresh tastes SO much better than canned! I have never liked pumpkin pie until a few years ago when I learned how to make it with fresh pumpkin. It makes all the difference.

I won't say this is the best recipe because I have not liked pumpkin pie long enough to try many recipes, but I will say I like it, and that's saying a lot.

1 small pumpkin (2-3 cups once it's cooked and mashed)

1 can evaporated milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 9" unbaked pie shell see here for recipe

Crumb Topping

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, chilled

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook pumpkin in microwave for 10 minutes. Scoop out flesh and all pie ingredients into a blender. Mix until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts.  Sprinkle topping over pie. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until set.  

Banana Muffins

These are the yummiest banana muffins, they taste just like banana bread. Sometimes I make the crumb topping with oats, you can also make it without. If you want to go healthier you can add 1/2 cup oats to the batter- it makes it a tad drier so I'd recommend adding another banana if you have one, but it still tastes delicious either way.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Crumb topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons oats (optional)

Mix wet ingredients, then stir in dry ingrients until well mixed. Stir in nuts. Mix crumb topping. Pour batter into greased muffin pan and top with crumb topping. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

*You can also use this for banana bread- makes a smaller loaf- just bake for 50-60 minutes.
*I'm lazy and sometimes don't make the topping, they still taste great- I just usually add a bit more brown sugar to compensate...

Morning Glory Muffins

More muffins! This is one of my favorite muffins- it's a close call between these and the pumpkin muffins, but these might win out. They are like mini carrot cakes. I make them with 100% whole wheat and when you add the carrots, apples and raisins, it's hard to get more nutrition packed into one tasty little muffin. This recipe comes from my favorite King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book.

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups whole wheat or white flour

1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled/grated carrots
1 large apple, peeled, cored, grated
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup wheat germ (optional)
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 375. Soak raisins in orange juice in a small bowl. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients, add together just until moistened. Drain & stir in raisins. Scoop into muffin cups and bake 25-28 minutes. If you really want to be bad- top with a bit of cream cheese frosting...

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

I got this recipe from my friend JoAnn who is an amazing cook- I have used her recipes several times here and have several more I will be posting in the future (look for mango chicken in the next few days!) Muffins are my boys favorite snack and I'm always looking for healthier recipes that I don't feel guilty snacking on as well. This recipe fits the bill. JoAnn posted it on her blog here. I just changed a few things. They are very filling, almost like an oatmeal cookie, my boys gobbled them up in a matter of minutes.

2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground white wheat)
1 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup craisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon orange zest (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak the cranberries in the orange juice in a separate bowl while preparing the batter. Mix the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients including the cranberries in orange juice and orange zest. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins (whole wheat)

This is the best pumpkin muffin recipe! It is so scrumptious. And any muffin recipe with 100% whole wheat that tastes fabulous is totally worth making. I think my boys like muffins better than cookies- the batch was devoured in less than 30 minutes!

*NOTE: I've updated this recipe and reduced the sugar by more than half. This version is healthier and tastes just as fabulous, however if you want to double the sugar and use white flour, you can!

I prefer using butternut squash in place of pumpkin in almost all my recipes- it has a milder flavor and seems a bit more moist than pumpkin. We have a local farmer that sells them for 50 cents each in the fall. They can be stored in a cool place for 6-8 months or you can slice in half, sccop out the seeds, microwave for 10 minutes, mash and freeze in ziploc freezer bags. I freeze 1 cup at a time then it's easy to pull out and use in a recipe.

This recipe comes from my favorite Whole Grain Baking book by King Arthur Flour, but I've modified it to be a little healthier.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

1 cups whole wheat (I use freshly ground white whole wheat or King Arthur whole wheat flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pumpkin (I use fresh pumpkin or butternut squash)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I love it with pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in bowl. Cream together butter & sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients mixing until evenly moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into 12 muffin tins, bake 22-25 minutes.