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Cooking 101: The Muffin Method

May 23, 2010 by Hillary 22 Comments

I had a FUNday SUNday. You too? It started off early, around 8:00am – just like I like it – with a quiet house all to myself… perfect for muffin’ makin’! After drooling over Allie’s recent recipe, I made a special trip to the store yesterday to pick up a few ingredients so I could mimic her muffins. I’d been wanting to use the remaining bit of quinoa I had in my cupboard from the last time I cooked with it, and Allie’s recipe sounded right up my allie alley.

Coconut Carrot Quinoa Muffins

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I have always loved making muffins… mainly because the process is a piece of cake. It’s usually one of the first techniques you’re taught in an elementary foods course. If you do not know how to make muffins “properly”, I’ll show you the way…

Cooking 101: The Muffin Method

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together with salt, sugar, leavenings and any spices in a large bowl.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 c. any flour [I used 1 1/2 c. whole wheat + 1/2 c. all-purpose]
  • 1/3 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

2. In another bowl or a large liquid measure, combine all the wet ingredients – dairy, eggs, liquid fat, and any flavoring.

Wet Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c. shredded organic carrots
  • 1/2 c. unsweetened organic soy milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/3 c. agave-honey syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2T oil
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla

3. Pour the wet on top of the dry and fold them gently together. Minimal mixing is key. Fold in any additional ingredients at this step (fruit, nuts, etc.).

Fold In:

  • 1 c. cooked quinoa
  • 1/3 c. toasted chopped pecans

4. Scoop your batter into well-greased (or paper-lined) muffin tins.  Fill the cavities 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with raw sugar.

5. Bake according to recipe directions.

This batch took approximately 26 minutes @ 350*.

  • A well-made muffin has a medium grain and is slightly moist, tender, and light. It has a somewhat pebbled appearance and rounded top.
  • An overstirred muffins has a peaked top and tunnels [excess air is beaten into the batter, stretching the gluten matrix].

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My muffins weren’t as moist as Allie claimed hers to be, but I liked them nonetheless. They’re just barely sweet and I love the added flavor of the quinoa. What’s your favorite type of muffin? Are you a hearty bran, apple cinnamon, or peach blueberry kind of person?

* * *

After my a.m. baking, I washed + vacuumed my car, threw a load of laundry in the washer, and then my roommate treated me to a Starbucks iced coffee before we went shoppin’! My caffeine sensitivity resulted in a coffee buzz all day. Or perhaps it was also the afternoon mocha almond fudge gelato : ) I wish I had captured a photo of the dish of deliciousness, but alas, the camera missed the trip. I promise a picture of the Italian indulgence at some point, as I’m sure there will be many more visits to Powell’s Sweet Shoppe…

Sunday shopping was a success. Hello, watermelon birthday dress!

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Then it was time to exercise, so I can be looking fine on June One Nine ; )

Treadmill Time:
  • 10 minutes @ 6.4mph – 1.0 incline
  • 10 minutes @ 4.4mph – 6.0 incline

[repeat set]

  • 5 minutes @ 4.0mph – 3.0 incline

+ 15 minutes abs, arms & legs

Dinner

028Dr. P California Veggie Burger a la toasted English Muffin + Mustard, Avocado, and Organic Lettuce
Quinoa [Where’d you come from?] + Salt & Pepper

I declare quinoa my new favorite grain – mmm.

Dessert

037 2 Kiwis + 2 Strawberries + Agave-Honey Syrup

040

Editing photos is entertaining.

This post has taken much too long to write/edit/design. I hope you enjoyed your muffin making lesson.

Night!

Chef Hillary

P.S. Inspirations are updated.
P.P.S. Remember, you may use the code NUT15 to receive 15% off a box of custom Element Bars!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Applesauce, Avocado, Carrots, Coconut, Dr. Praeger's, Greens, Kiwis, Muffins, Pecans, Quinoa, Soy Milk, Strawberries

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Comments

  1. Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says

    May 23, 2010 at 10:40 pm

    Ze muffs are lookin’ scrumpsh!! Mine was overly moist…so I bumped up the flour count to 2 cups in the recipe. I believe I used 1 3/4.

    Reply
  2. Ashley says

    May 23, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    Lovely post! The muffins look fabulous! My posts take forever as well :)

    Reply
  3. Tina says

    May 24, 2010 at 4:01 am

    I never knew all that about cooking muffins. Interesting! Now I know I overbeat batter. Oops.

    That dress is really cute. I’m in a wedding in September and the bridesmaids’ dresses are that same color but NOWHERE near as cute.

    Reply
  4. Brynne says

    May 24, 2010 at 4:37 am

    Those muffins sound so good! I’ve got a huge bag of quinoa in the pantry too… hmmm… I LOVE bran muffins with peanut butter (childhood comfort food) but peach blueberry sound beyond amazing.

    Reply
  5. Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries says

    May 24, 2010 at 4:59 am

    I LOVE that dress! Such a pretty color and I like how it’s off the shoulder too. Your Dr. P cali veg burger looks great – I just got some yesterday and can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
  6. Lauren @ Health on the Run says

    May 24, 2010 at 7:01 am

    These look amazing! It’s funny, even though I’ve tried cooking with the flour, I’ve never thought about adding actual quinoa to my baked goods. I’ll have to give it a shot! :)

    And I love your dress!

    Reply
  7. Helen says

    May 24, 2010 at 7:16 am

    Your dress is gorgeous! You will look fab. Thanks for the muffin recipe, they look really yummy!

    Reply
  8. Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter says

    May 24, 2010 at 8:29 am

    I need all of the baking lessons I can get! Those muffins look perfect to crumble over oatmeal.

    Reply
  9. christina says

    May 24, 2010 at 9:07 am

    oooh i love the color of your dress!

    Reply
  10. Betsy says

    May 24, 2010 at 10:11 am

    This is perfect! Just last night I was thinking that it’d be nice to make a carrot cake loaf to snack on soon. This is great! Thanks!

    Reply
  11. Naomi (onefitfoodie) says

    May 24, 2010 at 11:21 am

    the muffins look SO good! i love the idea of using quinoa in a muffin recipe!

    that dress is SO SO SO hot. love it! :)

    Reply
  12. Shannon, Tropical Eats says

    May 24, 2010 at 11:32 am

    Those look soooooo yummy. You are quite the lil’ baker ;) My fave kind is banana nut!

    Also LOVE the color of that dress. It is like BAM! Gorgeous. :)

    Reply
  13. Tay says

    May 24, 2010 at 2:21 pm

    CUTE dress! I absolutely love love love that color.

    Reply
  14. Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly says

    May 24, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    YUM! Those muffins look wonderful! I also love that dress…you will defintiely ROCK that!

    Reply
  15. kate says

    May 24, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    I love that dress! You are going to rock it girl!

    Reply
  16. Lisa (bakebikeblog) says

    May 24, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    What a gorgeous dress!
    And those muffins…YUM! Love the addition of quinoa – how creative :)

    Reply
  17. The Rabbit Runner says

    May 24, 2010 at 5:45 pm

    Hillary, thank you for your sweet comment on my blog :) It made my day a little brighter!

    Haha, I am the same way with baking for the family. If I bake in the afternoon, I kind of kick them out of the kitchen to be alone. Normal? Probably not, haha.

    Awesome run girlie!

    Reply
  18. Aunt Lisa says

    May 24, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    The muffins look yummy, Hilly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a muffin recipe with quinoa before! My favorite all-time muffin recipe comes from a little muffin cookbook I think your mom gave me many moons ago – oatmeal blueberry. They always come out light and delish, and I change up the fruit to match what’s in season. I’ve used applesauce for half the fat and they’re a little more dense but still really yummy, and of course then I can eat two :)

    Reply
  19. Mandiee says

    May 24, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    Your muffins and fruit bowl look delish! Oh my, I just adore strawberries and kiwis. Oh, and I love your birthday dress. It is absolutely adorable! I’m sure you will look stunning in it.

    Have a lovely day!
    xoxo

    Reply
  20. Alycia @ Fit n Fresh says

    May 25, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    Those muffins look amazing! I’m a muffin kind of girl. I’ve never made quinoa muffins though, so I cannot wait to try them! Thanks for relaying the awesome recipe (:

    Reply
  21. Katie says

    January 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm

    I used a flax egg instead of eggs & pumpkin instead of the oil! They turned out so good & I can’t stop eating them ;) Great recipe!

    Reply
    • Hillary says

      January 6, 2012 at 9:36 pm

      All pumpkin, no oil? Wow, awesome. Enjoy! :)

      Reply

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