I’ve been waiting rather impatiently for Dorie Greenspan’s new book, Baking with Dorie, so I reached out to her for a preview recipe to share with readers. I’ll be whipping up a batch of these healthyish muffins this weekend! Dorie is offering a bonus download to cooks who pre-order the book, out on October 19th (just in time for holiday gifting!).  Find out more here: https://doriegreenspan.com/pre-order-baking-with-dorie-get-bonus-recipes-video-now/.

Excerpted from BAKING WITH DORIE: Sweet, Salty, & Simple © 2021 by Dorie Greenspan. Photography © 2021 by Mark Weinberg. Reproduced by permission of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Grain & Seed Muffins

Golden brown and pointy-topped, these muffins are hearty, sturdy and pleasantly rough, the kind you’d pack for a hike, a picnic or a ballgame.  The batter is made with whole wheat flour, oats and wheat bran – small flakes with big flavor – and sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup. Using oil rather than butter provides a little spring in the crumb. Good plain, they’re extra-good with butter or jam, cream cheese, a slice of cheddar or alongside an apple. I’m partial to them with apple butter. 

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup (136 grams) whole wheat flour

1/2 cup (68 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (50 grams) oats (not instant)

1/2 cup (30 grams) wheat bran

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 large yolk, at room temperature

1 cup (240 ml) milk, not very cold

2/3 cup (160 ml) flavorless oil, such as canola

1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup

1/3 cup (40 grams) sunflower seeds, preferably raw

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup (80 grams) moist, plump dried cranberries or raisins 

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees F. Line a regular-size muffin tin with cupcake papers or coat the cups with baker’s spray.

Whisk together both flours, the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, oats and bran in a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, making sure there aren’t any lumps.

In a large measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, milk, oil and maple syrup.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and using a spatula, stir until most of the flour is moistened – make sure to get to the bottom of the bowl; you might have a few patches of dry flour. Add all the seeds, as well as the dried cranberries, and stir to incorporate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups – it will fill them.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the muffins are peaked (their tops may crack and that’s nice) and deeply golden; a tester inserted into their centers will come out clean. Transfer the tin to a rack, wait for 5 minutes, then pop the muffins out and onto the rack. Serve the muffins warm or wait until they reach room temperature.

Storing: Muffins are best eaten soon after they’re made and certainly on the day that they’re made. However, you can keep them covered at room temperature overnight – if you think they need it, split and toast them. You can freeze muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

doriegreenspan.com