Corn bread muffins

My husband loves it when I make very simple dinners. That’s great, but sometimes I really WANT to spend 6 hours in the kitchen preparing an elaborate feast. We compromise by having more traditional basics on the week days and more intricately-crafted dinners on weekends (when I’m not too exhausted from marathon training runs).
On election night I knew I would be glued to the TV for most of the night, so I threw a chicken in the oven, tossed together some coleslaw, and whipped up these beautiful cornbread muffins. So simple, and yet extremely satisfying. The recipe comes from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, a favorite resource for all things baking-related.
My favorite thing about them is the real corn kernels peppered throughout, with their surprising burst of flavor and juiciness in every bite!

(adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 cup fresh or frozen(thawed) corn
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce

Preaheat oven to 400F.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil, applesauce and corn. Beat well to blend.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just enough to blend. Do not beat.
Fill the muffing tins, and bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool pan on a rack for a few minutes, then turn muffins out onto a rack and finish cooling.
Makes 12 muffins.

Banana Nut Muffins

Three bananas sat on the kitchen counter for far too long.  Actually I bought an extra large bunch on purpose so I would be “forced” to make banana bread.  But as I started to peel them, I realized I didn’t want to make banana bread again (I mean there’s nothing wrong with it, but sometimes you have to mix things up), I wanted to make muffins.  Banana-walnut muffins, to be precise.

Thanks to Joy of Cooking (where would I be without this tome?), I had these muffins in and out of the oven in about 30 minutes.  I dusted them with powdered sugar because they were looking a little plain, and they are quite tasty.  The addition of whole wheat flour makes them a little heartier than your average muffin.  I can’t wait to warm one up for breakfast in the morning!

(from Joy of Cooking)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 large egg

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/3 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce, if you prefer)

1 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, bananas, oil, and vanilla.

Gently stir in the dry ingredients and walnuts, mixing just until combined.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, and dust with powdered sugar.