I am the Muffin Man
I am sure there are many mothers out there who claim that they are the Muffin Man. And they are right. But for the purpose of this article, I am the Muffin Man.
I blame myself for Sophie being a picky eater. It is one of my greatest failings as a parent. At about 10 months old, she dug in her soft little, smooth heels and stopped eating anything that wasn't tan. I did not put slices of avocado and little baby steamed carrots and pitted olives on her high chair tray. I fed her baby food for far too long and the babysitter fed her by hand for far too long. I made adorable faces out of fruits and vegetables, which remained untouched on her plate. I did not listen to the doctor who said to only feed her what we were eating and after a few days' struggle she'd eat it too. As a working mother with far too little time to spend with my child, I couldn't bear that mealtime would become a battle zone, and I gave in to chicken nuggets and pasta with butter. Plus, this child had (and still has) an iron will. She fought off three doctors trying to tap her spinal fluid when she was less than three hours old. The novelty of new foods, cooking with Mom, dipping veggies in hummus and other tried and true techniques were no match for her decisive mind.
And that is how muffins became important in my life and became a major food group. And how I became the Muffin Man. Muffins became a delivery system for fruit, vegetables and fiber and a weekly standby for breakfast and lunch. Mothers of Sophie's friends would say, "Muffins aren't lunch." But at my house they were. Often. I stirred in oat bran, ground nuts, fruits, vegetables, eggs, safflower oil for Vitamin E-- these muffins were so packed with nutrients, they could be rations for a 7-day hike. I developed a basic formula over the years, with many variations. I've made so many batches, I could make them in my sleep. Here are my two most popular varieties-- pumpkin and banana chip muffins. More variations will follow. But you can try grated zucchini and carrot in your muffins; chunky apple sauce, peach or pear puree. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Pumpkin Muffins, makes 12
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. safflower oil
1 t. vanilla
1 29 oz. can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. oat bran or 1 c. garbanzo bean flour**
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. allspice
1 t. ground ginger
1 T. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped, or ground in the food processor if your picky eater won't eat nuts
Preheat oven to 375F. Generously oil each cup of a large, non-stick 12-cup muffin tin.
Beat together sugar, oil and vanilla. Beat in eggs and pumpkin puree. Add all the dry ingredients and stir together to moisten. (If you are using chopped, rather than ground walnuts, beat the batter first before stirring in the nuts.) Beat for one minute on medium high speed. Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tin cups and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn off the oven and cool in the oven with the door open and the rack pulled out. These freeze well and can be warmed in the microwave or toaster oven, or just defrost.
** Oat bran adds fiber; garbanzo bean flour adds protein. The muffins will be a bit fluffier with the flour; a bit more textured with the oat bran.
Banana Chip Muffins, makes 12
Similar formula, just changing the character... Each muffin contains half a banana, which for a child, counts as a serving of fruit!
6 medium bananas, or 5 large ones
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. safflower oil
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 c. unbleached flour
1 c. oat bran or 1 c. garbanzo bean flour** see note above
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. allspice
1 t. ground mace
1 T. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1 c. ground or chopped walnuts
1 3.5 oz. bar of dark chocolate, or 2/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Oil each cup of a large, non-stick 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, use a pastry blender to cut the peeled bananas into large chunks-- just a stroke or two. Add the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla, and beat till just blended. Let the bananas stay chunky unless your picky eater demands they disappear completely. In that case, beat a bit more and use the pastry blender a bit more in the first step. Add the dry ingredients, including the ground walnuts. If you're using the walnuts chopped, stir them in after the batter is beaten. Stir together to moisten ingredients. Then beat for one minute at medium high speed. Chop the chocolate by pulsing in the food processor. Stir the chopped chocolate or chocolate morsels into the batter. You can leave out the chocolate for some or all of the muffins if the adult picky eaters in your household don't like chocolate for breakfast.
Spoon the batter equally into the cups of the muffin tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out dry. Turn off the oven and cool in the oven with the door open and the rack pulled out. These freeze well and can be warmed in the microwave or toaster oven, or just defrost.