02 April 2009

Superfood Muffins with a Twist

From March 2009 Recipes, Reviews and Other Photos


I'm a big fan of Hannah's recipes and her blog, BitterSweet. In fact, this muffin is an Altered Plates take on her Superfood Muffins.

I'm glad Hannah wrote a pretty strong caveat for these muffins so I'd know what to expect. I really didn't think they were that bad at all. I'd probably mix some almond meal into the flours next time for a little richness and substitute out some more of the whole wheat pastry flour for barley flour (my new favorite) for even more wonderful texture, but otherwise, I enjoyed them. I especially liked the quinoa, the cranberries, and the 5-spice powder I added. Heck, anything with 5-spice powder is right up my alley.

I didn't stray too terribly far from her original recipe but I did make some changes that affected the outcome and flavor a bit. Here are the alterations I made to the recipe to keep it superfoody, yet tweak it a bit:

1. Added 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice powder to the dry ingredients.
2. Used flaxmeal instead of freshly grinding flax seeds (I don't have a coffee or spice grinder).
3. Substituted frozen cranberries for the blueberries.
4. Omitted the brown sugar and increased the agave nectar to 2/3 cup.
5. Used almond milk instead of soy milk.
6. Added 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
7. Substituted 1/4 cup pineapple juice for the 1/2 cup orange juice.
8. Used red quinoa instead of the white variety (went well with the cranberries).

My version yielded 12 typical muffins and 9 mini muffins.

I undercooked the quinoa a bit because I wanted the crunch, and it delivered. I'm sure Hannah's version is delightful, because all her recipes (and crafts projects) usually are. But, for an interesting twist, try the Superfood Muffins with cranberries. You'll enjoy the tartness.

6 comments:

Kitty Wilkin said...

Thank you so much for your suggestion about the coconut flour to soak up agave nectar! I was actually thinking of adding some shredded coconut next time, as well as coconut oil instead of some of the butter, so the flour will jive perfectly! Also, these muffins look delicious! I will have to check out your site even more... yay healthy recipes!!

My husband and I have been working hard to avoid sugar, too... agave nectar is our fav substitution... as is maple syrup, but agave is more all-purpose I think :)

Amy said...

I LOVE all things muffin. These are gorgeous!

Alisa - Frugal Foodie said...

Those muffins look like a perfect breakfast treat!

Deb Schiff said...

Thank you for commenting and visiting, Ladies! Glad you like the muffins.

Hannah said...

Thanks for the constructive criticism, it sounds like you made some wonderful adaptations! I'm glad you ultimately liked them. :)

Deb Schiff said...

Hi Hannah,
Thanks for stopping by!
Not sure where the criticism was, but glad you like the adaptations.