Recipe #77: Raspberry Buttermilk Muffins

I tried this recipe with both raspberries and blueberries to use up buttermilk from another recipe. It was pretty good. I'd definitely be willing to try it again, though I would like to find a healthy muffin recipe.

Raspberry Buttermilk Muffins
From Allrecipes.com

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries*

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and buttermilk; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in berries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until browned.

Recipe #54: Pumpkin Muffins

I am making pumpkin muffins for us to take to work each day this week for breakfast. After I started the recipe, I realized that I was making as many substitutions as I was using the recommended ingredients. Some of the substitutions are ones that people recommended in reviews of the recipes, while others were because I didn't have all of the ingredients. We'll see how they turn out...

Pumpkin Muffins
from Food Network's Ellie Krieger

Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I doubled the amount)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I doubled the amount)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I doubled the amount)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I doubled the amount)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses ( I used pure maple syrup instead)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk (I used plain yogurt)
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.