An Onion Exposed: Apple & Raisin Oat Muffins

My husband has never been much of a breakfast eater. Occasionally he will grab a banana or a yogurt before he leaves for work, but I could probably count the times that he's eaten a full breakfast. Yes, one of his favorite meals may be bacon, hash browns, fried eggs, and orange juice, but he doesn't eat it in the morning. That's the type of thing he would go for at 3:00 in the afternoon. Me, on the other hand....I love breakfast! I think I explained that well enough in my post about cleaning your coffee maker. (If you would like to take a look, click here.)

Since we're both usually rushing to get out the door in the morning, sometimes I don't have time to eat, and Tony will only grab a bite if it's something light, quick, and easily accessible. I wanted to try something that was yummy, but still healthy and definitely ready to grab & go. Pretty sure I found it.

How great does this look for a healthy, balanced breakfast to get you out the door in the morning? Or even as a quick, filling snack to hold you over in the afternoon?

If I put all the goodness of these muffins in the name, they would be called

"Healthy Apple, Raisin, Oatmeal, Cinnamon, Bran & Flaxseed Muffins".

Since that might be a little lengthy when people ask you ~~holy moly, what's all in here?!~~ what kind of muffins you made, maybe we should shorten it up to

Apple & Raisin Oat Muffins.

Seriously, though. You have to try this recipe.

Recipe adapted from Susan Ott's post on Yahoo! Voices

Ingredients

1 cup flour (I used 1/2 c. white whole wheat & 1/2 c. all purpose)

1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)

1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 egg
1 1/2 cup milk
1 cup natural applesauce
2 apples (peeled, cored, and finely chopped)
2/3 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg.
Add the milk and applesauce and mix well.
Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Batter will be lumpy.
Fold in the chopped apples and raisins. (Can also add nuts, if you prefer.)
Spoon batter into muffin cups (Either grease the muffin tin, or use liners.)
Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffin tops are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool completely on cooling rack, then store in an airtight container.

If you don't have flaxseed meal, you can also use whole flaxseed. However....

....I also read that whole flaxseed can sometimes cause irritability in your digestive system and may need to be ground before ingesting. (Especially if you have celiac disease. Just FYI.)
Therefore, I threw it in our bullet (can also use a food processor or coffee grinder) and pulsed it a few times.
(No need to test that theory at the moment. Yikes.)

Combine all your dry ingredients and mix well. Be sure the brown sugar clumps are thoroughly mixed in.

Mix up your wet ingredients.

Pour it all together.

Mix it well. It will be somewhat clumpy.

Dump in the raisins and apples, and nuts if you're using them.
(If your apples are turning brown while chopping them, just place them in a little salt water. It will help keep the apples from browning. Just make sure they are well drained before adding them to the mixture.)

Stir well.

Scoop into greased or lined tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until muffin tops are golden, and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely on cooling rack, then store in an airtight container.

I put a few muffins in an airtight container to keep on the counter for quick snacks, and threw the rest in the freezer to enjoy throughout the next couple weeks.