More Muffin Madness

I should start this post out with a few updates on my life, as many new things have evolved in the past few days.  First and foremost, I have officially been accepted to graduate school and will be attending the University of Wisconsin La Crosse for the next 3 years to obtain my Education Specialist degree in School Psychology!  I am still in disbelief as I type those words, it hasn't really hit me yet.  UWL is one of the most rigorous and challenging programs around and I will leave the program extremely prepared for a career as a school psych.  I feel blessed to have the privilege to attend such a renowned program and work with the excellent faculty here!  Secondly, I am taking a trip out to Portland and Seattle next week for spring break. I have a pretty awesome travel companion and I know the west coast will provide us with a much needed adventure. I probably won't be posting during break- but will have plenty to say when I arrive home.  I haven't traveled anywhere since Ireland and I can't wait to "get the heck outta dodge."   Once you get the travel bug, it never really goes away... Stay tuned for pictures and stories!

Now on to what most of you came here to read about...food.
I'm sure many of you read my post about muffins back in December; if you didn't and you want some background on my take on muffins- read it.  I had been on a bit of a muffin hiatus for the past few weeks.  I'm not sure if this was due to a lack of time to bake or if deep down  I know when I make a batch of muffins, they disappear too quickly for my own good.  I decided to end the lack of muffins in my life and made a batch of classic banana chocolate chip muffins.  These were devoured by myself and my friends, so quickly that I made a second batch of muffins a few days later, only they were pumpkin cranberry the second time around.  Oh wait.  They were supposed to be pumpkin cranberry, but as usual, I didn't exactly follow the recipe and made them into pumpkin-apple-pecan-cranberry.  Despite my ability to follow a recipe, these were equally delicious as the banana chocolate chip muffins and didn't last long.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins-fresh out of the oven

Banana Muffins (From our family recipe box)

3-4 bananas, mashed

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cup flour

Optional ingredients: mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc…

1. Mix mashed bananas, sugar, egg and oil together in a medium bowl. 
2. In a separate large bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.  
3.Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until moistened, being careful not to overstir!   
4. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. Let cool for a few minutes before removing muffins from tins. Continue to cool muffins on a wire rack.

Low Fat Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (Adapted from the Gundersen Lutheran Heart Health Cookbook)

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cake flour

1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ¾ cup pumpkin (1- 15 oz. can)

½ cup apple sauce

1 cup cranberries

***Note- I used 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup diced apple n place of the 1 cup of cranberries.  I also added 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients.  In separate bowl, mix pumpkin, applesauce, eggs.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold in cranberries.  Pour into greased muffin tins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.