I haven’t been inspired (or had the time) to make any muffins or quick breads for months. But I’ve been craving desserts, so tonight, I decided to take to heart Michael Pollan’s Food Rule #39: Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
Which muffin recipe to make? I thought about peanut butter chocolate chip, blueberry, and oat raisin, but decided I’d like to try something new.
I searched through my Evernote recipes and found a lovely sesame seed muffin recipe. I loved that the recipe included a good amount of sesame seeds, but I wanted more whole grains, so I adapted it to my needs.
Here’s my modifications:
Healthy Low Sugar Whole Wheat Rye Sesame Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup rye flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder (aluminum free)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp (approx) freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup milk (I used So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, but almond milk would also work very well, as well as plain yogurt)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (the good stuff, not imitation)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat & rye flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and sesame seeds.
- Whisk oil and egg together in a small glass bowl or large glass measuring cup until slightly frothy
- Mix in molasses, milk, and vanilla.
- Pour wet mixture into dry flour bowl and stir to combine. Try not to over mix.
- Scoop into 12 muffin tins lined with paper and bake for 14-20 minutes.
Notes:
- The mixture is firm, so it’s easy to pile the batter high in the tin.
- I think I’ll add more spice next time. The cinnamon and nutmeg was fine, but I think it needs more ginger and maybe even a bit of anise or fennel seed.
- It was easy to scoop the batter into tins using my Oxo Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop.
- I slightly over-cooked the muffins, so next time I’ll bake for only 14 minutes. I bake in a counter-top convection oven.
- These muffins are not sweet, so more sweetener can be added if that is what you like. We plan on topping with a dollop of jelly for tomorrow’s breakfast!
- Raisins would be a great addition, as would some dark chocolate chips (leave out the spices).
- The sesame seeds are yummy! I might increase the amount added next time. They add a touch of chewy sweetness to the muffin.
Nutritional Data
Each muffin is approximately 2 oz.
Calories: 165
Total Fat: 8.3g
Saturated: 1.7g
Polyunsaturated: .5g
Monounsaturated: 3.2g
Cholesterol: 16.3mg
Sodium: 225mg
Potassium: 53mg
Total Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 2.7g
Sugars: 4g
Calcium: 13.5%
Iron: 12.5%
Use the nutritional data as a guide; the info is not absolute, your results might vary considerably depending on the total weight of the finished dish.
UPDATE: For breakfast, we ended up melting some organic whipped butter on top of a sliced muffin. It was yummy. I’ll definitely add a bit more sweetener next time, or possibly some sweeter mix-ins like raisins or chocolate chunks, along with a bit more sesame seeds.
Whoa, those look soo good! I don’t eat eggs, so do you think it would work with a flaxseed “egg”? If so, I’ve got all the other ingredients on hand! Thanks!
Hey Angeline!
I’ve never heard of a flaxseed egg! How interesting!
I googled, and cool, yes you can substitute.
Here is a great page I found on answers.com
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_can_be_used_as_a_substitute_for_eggs_when_making_a_cake
They say: “Use flaxseed – it works great! Grind 1-2 tbsp and then add a bit of water and heat on low until it turns into an “eggy” consistency. This would be for one egg… double for two! ”
Please let me know how it turns out!!!