I bought a delicious Crenshaw melon at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and after eating a few slices for breakfast yesterday morning, decided to turn the rest of it into melon balls.  I had no particular reason for wanting to do this, it just seemed like a fun thing to do.  And we all know that food tastes better when it’s cut into fun shapes, right?

As I was scooping out the flesh with the antique melon baller that has been in my family for as long as I can remember, I thought about the half-empty container of fresh mini mozzarella balls in the refrigerator.  I had never combined melon with mozzarella before, but the melon balls and mozzarella balls were the same size and shape and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like they were destined to end up in the same bowl.

So of course they did end up in the same bowl.

I made a quick dressing of lime juice, honey, and mint since I knew those ingredients would be nice with the melon.  I also added a bit of crushed red pepper because after living in Sicily for four years I now put crushed red pepper in just about everything.  And of course a tiny bit of salt always helps to perk things up a bit (try a sprinkle of salt on fresh cantaloupe – yum!).  The resulting salad was light, simple, and delicious!

Melon and Mozzarella Salad

2 cups of cold, bite-size melon balls or cubes (use your favorite type of melon)
1 cup of bite-size fresh mozzarella balls or cubes
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves
small pinch of salt
small pinch of crushed red pepper

Put melon balls and mozzarella in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, mint, salt, and crushed red pepper.  Pour dressing over the melon and mozzarella then toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Yield: four servings

Related Recipes:

• Blood Orange and Green Olive Salad
• Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Dill Salad
• Chilled Ginger Cantaloupe Soup
• Tangerine and Jicama Salad with Garlic and Cilantro

Around the Web:

• Cucumber Melon Salad from Not Eating Out in New York
• Melon, Chicken, and Avocado Salad from La Tartine Gourmande
• Melon Salad with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese from Closet Cooking
• Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija from Simply Recipes
• Cantaloupe Salad with Feta and Basil from Kitchen Parade

It’s Food Blog Friday and here I am writing about yet another lemon-infused recipe.  I can’t help it.  I love lemon.  I love this Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake.  And I love Baking Bites, today’s featured food blog.

Nicole Weston has been writing Baking Bites since 2004 – way before I knew anything about food or baking blogs.  She updates the blog almost daily with recipes, baking tips, product reviews, recommendations, and what she calls “bites from other blogs” – links to interesting recipes and ideas from other blogs.  I just ordered a new ice cream scoop based on Nicole’s recent review of her Zyliss scoop. I love learning about great products from other bloggers!

I’ve been reading Baking Bites since I first discovered food blogs and I’ve tried several recipes over the years.  They’ve all been great!  When I was craving lemon cake this week, I knew I could trust Nicole’s Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake even though I had never made it before.  I was right to trust the recipe.  This cake was perfect.

I had a couple pints of fresh raspberries from the Farmer’s Market that I wanted to pair with the cake – lemon and raspberry is such a great combination!  I used most of the berries to make a simple Raspberry Coulis and saved a few for garnish.  The cake and raspberry sauce were perfect together.

I really hope you head over to Baking Bites and give this simple and delicious lemon cake a try.  Make sure to look at Nicole’s other great recipes while you’re there!

Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake at Baking Bites
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Other Recipes to try from Baking Bites:

• Chai Snickerdoodles
• Strawberry Goat Cheese Scones
• Cinnamon Raisin Beer Bread
• Soft Yogurt Sandwich Rolls
• Buttermilk Pie Bars

Previous Food Blog Fridays:

• Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting from Simply Recipes
• Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread from 101 Cookbooks
• Fattoush from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak from Blue Kitchen
• Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles from Whipped
• Apricot Almond Tart from Tartelette
• Blueberry Orange Cornmeal Pancakes from Satisfied
• Luscious Lemon Bars from Alpineberry

You all know by now that I love muffins, but I bet you didn’t know how much I love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  My sister is in town visiting and we were talking last night about what I should make this morning.  I was wavering between Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Zucchini Muffins.  She and I both love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, but for some reason I was stuck on the idea of muffins for breakfast.  At some point she said I should just make Oatmeal Raisin Muffins and once the idea was planted in my head, I couldn’t stop thinking about how to make a muffin that tasted like my favorite cookie.

It’s not easy to make a muffin taste like a cookie.  I needed to find a way to make the muffins taste buttery like a cookie without using a ridiculous amount of butter (because at that point, why not just make cookies).  I decided that browning the butter might intensify the flavor enough to do the trick.  I also had to fiddle with the amount of salt and sugar until I had a muffin that was reminiscent of a salty sweet cookie without actually being as salty or sweet as a cookie.  The whole point of this effort was to end up with something to eat for breakfast that wasn’t quite as bad for me as a stack of oatmeal raisin cookies.

I made these muffins three times before I got the combination right.  The winning batch uses whole wheat flour and rolled oats, so you’ll at least get some fiber alongside your butter and sugar.  With a cup of brown sugar in the recipe, I won’t make any claims that these are healthy.  But like I said, I was just looking for something slightly healthier than a stack of cookies.  I think I accomplished that.

Now I’m packing up the rest of these muffins and we’re heading to the cabin for a few days.  I’ll be back Sunday night to answer any questions or e-mails.  Food Blog Friday will return next week.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Muffins

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper cups.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Allow the butter to melt completely and then cook – the butter will foam and start to crackle.  Continue cooking, keeping a close eye on the pan, until the crackling subsides and little brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan when you swirl it.  Remove from heat as soon as the butter solids have browned and it smells rich and nutty.  Pour butter, including the browned bits, into a heat-proof bowl and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Whisk together until well combined then stir in oats.  In a separate bowl, whisk together browned butter, eggs, buttermilk, and brown sugar.  Stir in vanilla extract.  Add the butter mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined (make sure to scrape up all the flour from the bottom of the bowl).  Fold in raisins and nuts.

Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or a large spoon, divide batter between the 12 muffin cups (the cups should be mostly full).  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 – 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Related Recipes:

• Applesauce Spice Muffins
• Cherry Banana Muffins with White Chocolate Chips
• Nectarine Muffins
• Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins
• Peachy Banana Bran Muffins

Around the Web:

• Blueberry Oat Muffins from Family Style Food
• Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins from Baking Bites
• Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Muffins from Closet Cooking
• Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins from Tasty Kitchen
• Overnight Oatmeal Muffin Recipe from Whipped

Happy Food Blog Friday!  This is my absolute favorite zucchini bread recipe and I’m thrilled to be able to share it with you today.  Heidi from 101 Cookbooks calls this her Special Zucchini Bread and with extras like lemon zest and poppy seeds, it truly is special. 

101 Cookbooks is an amazing food blog that I’ve been reading for years and I’d bet that most of you have been doing the same.  If you’re at all interested in cooking with natural, whole ingredients and/or expanding your vegetarian cooking repertoire, 101 Cookbooks is a must-read.  The recipes are exciting and well-written and the photography is fantastic.  If you somehow haven’t yet visited, go there now. You won’t be sorry.  In addition to the blog, I’d also like to recommend Heidi’s wonderful cookbook Super Natural Cooking.  It’s a great book.

I’ve made this zucchini bread a couple of times now, once with whole wheat flour and once with all-purpose flour.  Both versions were fantastic.  I leave out the optional crystallized ginger and curry powder, not because I don’t think it sounds good, but because I was out of both ingredients the first time I gave this a try.  I fell so madly in love with the first loaf, I didn’t want to change the flavors the second time around.

Give this lemon poppy seed version a try and you’ll never bake plain zucchini bread again!

Heidi’s Special Zucchini Bread at 101 Cookbooks
Become a fan of 101 Cookbooks on Facebook
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Buy Super Natural Cooking

Previous Food Blog Fridays:

• Fattoush from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak from Blue Kitchen
• Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles from Whipped
• Apricot Almond Tart from Tartelette
• Blueberry Orange Cornmeal Pancakes from Satisfied
• Luscious Lemon Bars from Alpineberry

Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending The Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee, a great event celebrating 60 varieties of peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, and pluots from about a dozen local certified organic farms.

After enjoying some music and eating delicious pulled-pork sandwiches topped with grilled peaches, we wandered from table to table chatting with farmers and sampling more varieties of stone fruits than I ever knew existed!

Needless to say, I walked away from the jubilee with bulging bags of peaches, nectarines, and apricots.  The peaches won’t be fully ripened for another day or two, but the nectarines were perfect Sunday morning.  I couldn’t resist eating slice after slice of the delicious fruit while cutting it up for the muffins.

I had never made nectarine muffins before, but I knew I wanted a recipe that included buttermilk.  I turned to my favorite buttermilk muffin recipe in the book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone as a starting point and was happy to see instructions for adapting the basic recipe to make fresh fruit muffins.  Although nectarines weren’t on the list of recommended fruits, I knew they would work well here.  I also decided to add a bit of ground cinnamon and ginger as I really enjoy those flavors with peaches and nectarines.

The muffins were amazing – sweet, tart, and tender.  They reminded me of a nectarine cobbler, which says a lot since cobbler is one of my favorite desserts.  I was really happy to be able to share them with both my dad and my grandpa on Father’s Day.  It’s nice to be home.

Nectarine Muffins
Adapted from Basic Buttermilk Muffin recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup diced fresh nectarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until well combined.  In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just combined (make sure to scrape all the flour up off the bottom of the bowl).  Gently fold in the diced apricots.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (a mechanical ice cream scoop works great for this) – they will be almost completely full.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Related Recipes:

• Peach Cobbler
• Peach and Banana Bran Muffins
• Whole Wheat Banana Oat Muffins
• Cherry Banana Muffins with White Chocolate Chips
• Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins

Around the Web:

• Stir-Fried Beef and Nectarines from Steamy Kitchen
• Nectarine Turnovers from Baking Bites
• Nectarine Golden Cake from Sassy Radish
• Rustic Peach and Nectarine Crostata from Herbivoracious
• Tomato-Nectarine Chutney from The Perfect Pantry

Welcome to Food Blog Friday!  I’ve decided to start a series dedicated to sharing recipes that I’ve tried from other food blogs.  I plan on tempting you with a fantastic recipe from a different food blog each week.  This is how it will work:  I’ll try out the recipe myself, show you a photo of my results, then send you over to the featured blog for the recipe.  It will be a great way for all of us to learn more about what’s happening in the food blogosphere.

This week I reached way back into the past and dug up Alpineberry’s recipe for Luscious Lemon Bars. Alpineberry is a wonderful baking blog that I’ve been following for a few years now.  In addition to tempting us with her own creations, Mary has been an active member of The Daring Bakers since early 2007.  That’s a lot of daring baking!

I’ve been craving lemon bars like crazy lately and once I read Mary’s description of a perfect lemon bar, I knew I would have to give her recipe a try.  But this recipe did more than satisfy a craving – these are the best lemon bars I’ve ever tasted!

I followed the recipe exactly, although I used regular lemons where she uses meyer lemons because I prefer extra tart lemon bars.  The recipe worked perfectly and for once, I wouldn’t change a thing!

I do have one little trick I’d like to share with you.  When I lined the pan with parchment paper I left two long sides to hang over the edge of the pan.  This made it simple to pull out the whole thing once it was cooled, which in turn made for easier slicing.

Although I did sprinkle them with powdered sugar for decoration, I found that the bars were best with only a light dusting.  They are pretty much perfect on their own.

If you’ve been looking for a fantastic lemon bar recipe, I highly recommend you head over to Alpineberry and give this one a try!  And while you’re there, you should check out some of her other delicious treats like Triple Threat Lemon Cupcakes, Nutella Cheesecake Brownies, or Blueberry Hand Pies.

Luscious Lemon Bars recipe at Alpineberry

I’m sure you’ve heard me say that I prefer a somewhat healthy muffin.  I know that I’ve told you before how I feel about overly sweet muffins – that if I wanted dessert, I’d rather just have a cupcake.  But I did it anyway.  I made these sweet, delicious muffins that offer very few nutritional benefits and really can’t be classified as anything but dessert.

You know what?  I don’t regret it one bit.

These are the best muffins I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t change a thing about them.  The banana and white chocolate are perfect together and the tart cherries help to balance the extra sweetness from the white chocolate.  The streusel topping, perfect.

When I noticed three well-aged bananas sitting in the fruit basket (they grow up so fast, don’t they?), I figured I’d actually make some banana bread this time instead of banishing them to the back of the freezer.  Since I’m in the process of eating down the pantry, I also pulled out a half-empty bag of white chocolate chips that had been hanging out for a while.  I learned from Amanda that white chocolate chips are really good in banana-flavored baked goods so I was pretty excited to give it a try myself.

At some point during the ingredient-gathering stage I decided that muffins sounded like more fun than bread.  Then all of a sudden tart dried cherries had made their way onto the ingredients list.  I was obviously in one of those throw-it-all-in-there moods, so it should come as no surprise that I felt a streusel topping was necessary as well.

I’m glad I let go and followed my instincts on this one.  These muffins were outstanding and I take back anything I ever said about muffins needing to be a bit healthy.  I’ll never give up the healthy ones, but there’s certainly room for an occasional muffin indulgence.  Enjoy!

Cherry Banana Muffins with White Chocolate Chips

Streusel Topping Ingredients:
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter

Muffin Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries

1. Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin (I use Baker’s Joy) or line with paper cups (I spray the inside of the paper cups with baking spray, too).

2. Make streusel topping:  In a small bowl, blend together brown sugar and flour.  Blend butter into the sugar mixture with your fingertips until it has a sandy, crumb-like texture.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.  Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, oil, sugar and vanilla; stir in mashed banana.

5. Pour banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined.  Don’t overmix, but make sure all the flour has been scraped off the bottom of the bowl and mixed in.  Fold in white chocolate chips and cherries.

6. Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.  Sprinkle streusel mixture over the muffin batter, letting it mound slightly in the center of each muffin.

7. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Let muffins cool slightly in pan then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Related Recipes:

• Cherry Pecan Bran Muffins
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts
• Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins
• Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins
• Peach and Banana Bran Muffins

Around the Web:

• Nutella Banana Muffins from Delicious Days
• Blueberry Banana Muffins from My Kitchen Snippets
• Vegan Strawberry Banana Muffins (gluten-free) from Gluten-Free Goddess
• Banana Muffins with Pecans from Nami-Nami
• Banana Nut Muffins from Simply Recipes

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

On a whim, I decided to try making heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for a fun Valentine’s Day treat.  I had no idea if it would work, but I was thrilled  with the results.  They turned out so cute, I had to share the technique with you even if it’s a bit late to make them for today’s Valentine’s breakfast.

But who says you can only eat heart-shaped food on Valentine’s Day?

You can make heart-shaped rolls from any regular cinnamon roll recipe, but I happen to really like a dough made with buttermilk.  I improvised the dough for these rolls from the cinnamon bun recipe in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Enjoy!

Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), softened
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 cups flour (plus extra as needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or use rapid rise or bread machine yeast)
1/2 cup warm buttermilk (90 – 110 degrees F)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1  heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar using a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy;  beat in egg.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast.  Add buttermilk and flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated.

If using a stand  mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes, adding a bit of flour if necessary to form a very soft dough (will most likely be very sticky and that’s fine).  If kneading by hand, scrape dough onto a floured counter top or board and knead, adding only as much flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, for 8 to 10 minutes.  Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn once to coat both sides of dough with oil.  Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour and a half.

Gently push dough down to deflate and turn out onto a floured counter top or board.  Press dough out into a small rectangle then cover and let rest for ten minutes.  Meanwhile, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  After dough rests, roll it out into a 20″ x 7 ” rectangle.  Brush surface of dough with melted butter then sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.  Gently press the sugar down into the dough with the palm of your hand.

Starting on a long side, begin rolling the dough towards the center, stopping before reaching the very center.  Repeat with other side then roll the two sides together until they meet in the middle.  Gently press together.

Slice the rolls into one-inch pieces then transfer to parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets.  Shape the pieces into hearts by pinching the bottom of the roll between two fingers.

You should end up with 20 -24 cinnamon rolls, divided between two baking sheets.  Cover with greased plastic wrap and let cinnamon rolls rise for 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 15 minutes of rising time.

Bake cinnamon rolls at 350 degrees for a total of 15 minutes (or until lightly browned), rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking time if using two oven racks.

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 ounces butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (more to taste, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash of milk to thin, if necessary.

Beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla then gradually beat in powdered sugar.  Spread glaze on warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.  You may also thin the glaze with a bit of milk to drizzle over the rolls, or decorate cooled rolls using a piping bag and round tip as shown below.

I was searching through old photos today and found these whole wheat blueberry muffins I made a while back.  Since I remember them tasting just as delicious as they look, I decided that they shouldn’t be kept hidden on my hard drive any longer.

The muffin recipe came from Elise at Simply Recipes and the only change I made was to use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat Flour instead of all-purpose flour.  If you haven’t started baking with white whole wheat flour yet, now is the time to start!

The name “white whole wheat flour” might seem confusing since we are used to associating the term “white flour” with something that has had most of the nutrition processed and bleached right out of it.  But white whole wheat flour is a whole grain flour that has been milled from hard white spring wheat, rather than traditional red wheat.  It offers all the same nutritional benefits of traditional whole wheat, but has a milder flavor, lighter color, and finer grind, making it perfect for quick breads.

I happen to really enjoy the flavor of traditional whole wheat flour and still use it for yeast breads, but I find myself turning to white whole wheat for things like cookies, quick breads, pancakes, pizza dough, and even pie crusts.  It’s wonderful stuff!  And if you’re new to baking with whole wheat flour, white whole wheat might make for an easier transition – especially if you’re baking for picky eaters!

I haven’t tried any brands other than King Arthur Flour, but I know Trader Joe’s (who unfortunately stopped selling King Arthur) is now stocking their own brand of white whole wheat and Hodgson Mill is also producing a white whole wheat flour.  I’m sure there are even more brands out there now.

If you’d like to try experimenting with white whole wheat flour, I think a batch of muffins is a great place to start.  You can use it in any recipe, just replace the all-purpose or traditional whole wheat flour with an equal part of white whole wheat flour.

One thing to keep in mind:  while white whole wheat flour does bake up a bit lighter than traditional whole wheat, it is still a whole grain flour and will not perform exactly like the processed all-purpose version.  Your quick breads might not rise quite as high, and the crumb might be a bit more dense than in breads baked with all-purpose flour, but I really enjoy the flavor and texture of whole grain baked goods and think you will, too.

And really, who is going to say no to a blueberry muffin that looks like this?

If you’d like to try these blueberry muffins, head over to Simply Recipes and print the recipe.  Just don’t forget to use white whole wheat flour!

Related Recipes:

• Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes
• Whole Grain Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Rosemary Pizza Dough
• Whole Wheat Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Around the Web:

• The Bottom Line on White Whole Wheat Flour at Dani Spies
• White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough at 101 Cookbooks
• White Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls at Baking Bites
• White Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil at Kalyn’s Kitchen
• White Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting at The Perfect Pantry

Sometimes I think I would be perfectly happy in the kitchen making nothing but muffins all day long.  Quick to prepare and endlessly adaptable, muffins are fun, easy, and delicious – and I believe everyone should learn to bake them.

If you’ve been reading about my kitchen adventures for any length of time, you already know that I tend to make a lot of whole grain muffins.  While I do love sweet, cake-like muffins, I decided long ago that if I’m going to snack on something that tastes like dessert, I’d almost always rather go for an actual cupcake.

So while my muffins might not fall into the category of health food, I do try to find a nice balance between flavor, texture, and nutrition.  These cherry pecan bran muffins are no exception.  The muffins are packed with fiber but aren’t overly dense or heavy; the tart cherries and pecans lend a wonderful flavor, but also pack a nutritional punch.  Tart cherries are filled with antioxidants, are a natural source of melatonin, and might help to ease the pain of arthritis, and when taken out of the pie, pecans are good for you as well.

I’ve been eating these muffins for breakfast with a side of Greek yogurt, but they also make a great mid-afternoon snack.  You may substitute other dried fruits or nuts for the cherries and pecans, but I found this combination to be a delicious one.

Cherry Pecan Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with butter, nonstick baking spray, or paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together wheat bran and boiling water; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  When wheat bran has cooled, whisk in the egg, milk, oil, and brown sugar.  Pour wet bran mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon until just combined.  Fold in the chopped cherries and pecans.

3. Divide batter between the twelve muffin cups (a regular-sized ice cream scoop works well).  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 18-22 minutes, or until the top of the muffin springs back lightly to your touch or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Check early and don’t let them over bake.

Nutrition Info per serving (one muffin):  252 calories; 11 grams fat; 37 grams total carbohydrate; 4 grams fiber; 15 grams sugars; 5 grams protein.  Nutrition information is approximate – analyzed through NutritionData.com

Related Recipes:

• Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts
• Peach and Banana Bran Muffins
• Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins
• Double Dark Chocolate Beet Muffins
• Whole Wheat and Oat Bran Banana Muffins
• Whole Wheat Orange Spice Muffins

Around the Web:

• Baby Bran Muffins from 101 Cookbooks
• Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins from Chocolate & Zucchini
• Basic Bran Muffins from Erin Cooks
• Sour Cream Bran Muffins from Smitten Kitchen
• Farmgirl Susan’s Basic Bran Muffins from Farmgirl Fare