Magnificent Apricot Muffins
This is a great muffin recipe that is both delicious and healthy. I found it in a local runners magazine.
This is a great muffin recipe that is both delicious and healthy. I found it in a local runners magazine.
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice substitutes include allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and/or cloves
- 1 cup dried apricots chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped (or grape nuts cereal)
- 1/3 cup non-hydronated canola oil (smart balance)
- Carbohydrate 64.5322204171101 g
- Cholesterol 18.86 mg
- Fat 4.08134583333333 g
- Fiber 2.55579587642968 g
- Protein 7.50848041666851 g
- Saturated Fat 0.465745 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (145g)
- Sodium 135.877250145231 mg
- Sugar 61.9764245406804 g
- Trans Fat 0.506521416666667 g
- Calories 315 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice (or one of the above substittutes) and oatmeal.
- Next, stir in the apricots and nuts (or cereal if that was your choice).
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil, and milk.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients by pouring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Stir and mix well, but do not beat.
- Pour or spoon batter into muffin tins to about the 2/3 level.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are brown.
- Dues muffins with the powdered sugar and serve.
- You may also use a small apricot slice as a topping.
Standard measurements on a page omit how aggressively mixing transforms structural starches. Overworking batter activates flour proteins into tough gluten strands, turning light morning pastries into dense, rubbery weights. Mixing wet and dry elements demands restraint. Folding requires a rubber spatula to cut down the center, sweep across the bottom of the bowl, and turn the contents over gently. Stop immediately when white streaks of flour disappear, leaving a lumpy batter that ensures tender crumb development. Dried fruit chunks and chopped nuts distribute evenly through this thick base without sinking to the bottom during baking. Thermal transfer inside the oven relies on a preheated environment maintained at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Standard muffin tins filled to the two-thirds threshold undergo rapid leavening as baking powder reacts to liquid moisture and heat simultaneously. Extending bake time past thirty minutes risks drying out the crumb structure, while pulling the pans too early yields pale, undercooked centers. Visual cues dictate doneness far more accurately than clocks alone. Golden brown surfaces and springy tops that rebound from light finger pressure signal the correct internal temperature has been reached. Skim milk provides hydration without excess fat, keeping the lipid count low while relying on canola oil to maintain moisture. Pumpkin spice blends introduce warm aromatic compounds dominated by cinnamon and nutmeg, which pair with the tart sweetness of chopped dried fruit. Letting baked goods cool on wire racks prevents residual bottom steam from softening crisp crusts.
