Oatmeal Pecan Muffins

Here I go again with the healthy baking. I started a new job this week that I actually have to commute to. So my goal is going to be to bake some more wholesome snacks I can grab and go in the morning. And to start with we have oatmeal pecan muffins with some dried currants thrown in.



While these are on the healthier side they're still made with a bunch of brown sugar (delicious) and while it's not butter, there's a lot of oil in there... But definitely make them! They're yummy! Here it goes:

Oatmeal Pecan Muffins
Adapted from Divine Baking
Yields around 1 1/2 dozen regular size muffins

2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried currants (or raisins, or other dried fruit. or optional!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with papers. Or, coat the muffin pan with cooking spray, your choice.
   
2. Mix together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon and ground cloves in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixer combine eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Slowly mix in dry ingredients.
4. Stir in pecans and currants.
5. Spoon into lined or unlined muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Cool in pan on wire rack before turning out.
7. Store in air tight container at room temperature.

Sexy Cinnamon Rolls

Plus they're ridiculously easy, smell amazing, and the payoff is huge...you have FRESH CINNAMON ROLLS! Incredible. :o)



I was feeling cinnamon rolls, and I had this recipe for cinnamon rolls tagged for awhile, but I needed something quick and dirty. I had some puff pastry hanging out in my freezer and a quick search turned up this recipe.

I wasn't sure what adding the pecans on top of the butter/cinnamon in the bottom of the cups would do...so I spread them inside the roll instead of raisins and rolled them up in there.

They were delicious and we ate them all week long. We'd heat them up in the toaster oven for a minute or two to warm them. Make them, they're amazing.

Jumping on the Ebelskiver bandwagon

Like my last post, I'm making use of another Christmas gift.

I got an Ebelskiver pan! :o) Also got some mix and recipe book to go with it.

I was a little disheartened by the recipes in the book since it advises they should all be served immediately, and I really wanted to be able to take some of these to parties and whatnot. But after making them a few times I believe they'll also travel well, as long as it's the same day or very next day. :o)

I started with the basic recipe then slightly branched out, there will be much more Ebelskiving to come! Here are a few so far!

1) Original Ebelskivers with strawberry jam filling - the first try


2) Original Ebelskivers with peach filling - practicing my Ebelskiver flipping skills


See peachy filling?



3) French toast Ebelskivers with peach jam filling - getting fancy, my own creation
Use the Ebelskiver mix and tossed in some vanilla extract and a bunch of cinnamon. Instantly tastier, then dusted with powdered sugar



See peachy filling? And cinnamon? mmmmm....



They do take a little longer to make and make more dishes to clean since you have to make the batter separately then whip the egg whites, but they're great for weekend breakfast. When you're making them, they cook fast! Be careful not to let them burn! Flipping with the skewers is easier than I thought, I can only get seem to get them flipped 3/4 of the way but I just stuff it back in the little Ebelskiver well and they come out pretty good, and the filling stays enclosed. Good stuff!