Ditty’s Hearty and ever so Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Ditty’s Hearty and ever so Healthy Breakfast Muffins

My dear sister has been baking various renditions of her ever evolving hearty breakfast muffins for as long as I can remember.

Like so many home cooks these days she has been updating and adapting her muffin recipe to accommodate her extended family’s food intolerance issues. Lactose and gluten intolerance are as common these days as is an awareness for reducing fats and sugar in our everyday

diets.

There is such an abundance of healthy nutritional ingredients baked into these breakfast muffins to fuel even the busiest of mornings!

Ditty’s Healthy and ever so Hearty Breakfast Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Equipment: 12 muffin baking tin lightly spritzed with cooking spray

preheat oven to 400 f /180 c with oven rack set in the center position.

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups gluten free flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• ¾ cup chopped dates, golden raisins, or dried cranberries
• ½ cup broken pecans, walnuts, or slivered almonds, + 12 whole nuts for garnish
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 large organic eggs
• 2 cups almond milk
• ½ cup applesauce or Greek yogurt, or a combination of both
• 1cup peeled and diced apples or pears, optional

For the Holidays add the following :

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree to the batter;  omitting the of Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• a pinch  of clove
• Topping:
• 1 egg white, whisked
• 1 tablespoon each of cinnamon and sugar, combined
• 12 whole nuts for garnish

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats all stirred together until well combined. Add the dates, or other dried fruit, and pecans, or other nuts, and the sugar. Using your hands massage all the ingredients together until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the eggs and almond milk and whisk until combined.

Begin adding the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients while stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue adding the liquid mixture and folding it into the batter until well combined.

Add the applesauce and / or the Greek yogurt and fold in until well combined.

Then fold in the diced apples or pears if using.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tin until each cup his fully filled with batter and the batter that is mound up slightly in the center of each muffin.

Whisk the egg white and lightly brush the tops of each muffin. Place a whole nut atop each muffin and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Transfer the muffins into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the center of a muffin. If the skewer comes out clean when withdrawn the muffins are done.

Transfer the muffins in the tin to a cooling rack and set aside to cool.

Best to Serve the muffins while they are sill warm!