Muffin madness

“No, Crazy.”

That was my answer twice this week to a 7 am “Mommy, can I have a muffin for breakfast?” A question inspired, no doubt, by her grandparents love of muffins in the morn. (Ok, I didn’t call my 4 year old crazy. But I wanted to!)

Now, I love a good muffin as much as the next gal. But a breakfast food? Come on people. Wake up! Let’s call this high-sugar, nutritionless white flour, fat-laden, calorie-dense food what it is: dessert disguised as breakfast.  A homemade ham, egg and cheese sandwich, for example, has lower calories and fat and more nutrients than most muffins.

So as not to be thought of as a total muffin hater, I thought I’d look into better-for-you muffin recipes. I found the one below in The NY Times. I plan to try it this weekend—as a breakfast treat.

Got a favorite healthy muffin recipe? Send it my way and I’ll post it here.

Whole Wheat Muffins

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, more for greasing tins

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour

3/4 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed or puréed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, cooked or canned pumpkin or other fruits or vegetables

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 6-cup muffin tins or fill with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, banana, egg and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.

2. Fill muffin tins or liners; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible.

Yield: 12 muffins.

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Tags: breakfast, dessert, muffin, The New York Times