Fruit Muffins

We made several batches this weekend and I tried out two different recipes. Neither recipe seemed quite right, so {of course} I made a few adjustments. :) But the VERY nice thing about these muffin recipes is:

• they are super easy to make
• they can be made with any type of fruit
• they are low in sugar
• they are organic and made with unbleached flour; you can add or substitute whole wheat flour too
• your kids {and you} will love ’em

Here are more photos....

Blueberry Fruit Muffins

Cranberry Apple Muffins

Silly Oliver

Blueberry Cranberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

Really, you can add just about any fruit to these. For a small toddler, I still insist on making the mini muffins because they make a great snack, and they can accompany a breakfast meal.

For babies, mini muffins are the way to go. Just put any soft fruit inside. When Oliver was a baby, I substituted breast milk instead of cow’s milk in the recipe. That worked well, especially when Oliver could eat solids like this but was still breastfeeding. So I felt great about that. {It’s just that other adults will be squirmy about trying them. I don’t blame them!}

These muffins take just minutes to assemble and only about 10 minutes in the oven. They are so delicious with a cup of milk while they are still steaming hot! Oliver often asks me to warm the muffins before eating them because he loves that just out-of-the-oven freshness. These are great for freezing too. They make a great, healthy addition to any breakfast!

Here are the two recipes I tried. I am including my alterations to the recipes as well. They come from this book, Baby & Toddler Healthy Eating Planner, which I have shared with you on this site before. It's an awesome book for your growing baby (when he or she is ready for solids) and it will be your companion for many years to follow.

Pear Apple Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cup unbleached, organic flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 6 T organic sugar
• 1 large free-range or organic egg
• 8 oz milk (or breast milk!) (any fat content is fine)
• 3 T organic, unsalted butter
• 1 pear and 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

METHOD

1. Butter the mini muffin pans or coat with liners
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar)
3. Make a well in the center
4. Mix other ingredients together in a separate bowl
5. Add the wet ingredients into the well, mixing everything together to make a batter
6. Add the fruit, gently fold into the batter
7. Spoon the batter into the cups
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, 400 degree oven
9. Cool on a cooling rack
10. Freeze any extras

YEILD

18 -24 mini muffins

and the second recipe....

Raspberry Muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cup unbleached, organic flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/3 c organic sugar
• 1 large free-range or organic egg
• 8 oz organic milk (or breast milk!) (any fat content is fine) 
• 1/2 t organic vanilla
• 3 T organic, unsalted butter
• 1 cup or so of organic raspberries

METHOD

1. Butter the mini muffin pans or coat with liners
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar)
3. Make a well in the center
4. Mix other ingredients together in a separate bowl
5. Add the remaining wet ingredients into the well, mixing everything together to make a batter
6. Stir in the raspberries, gently
7. Spoon the batter into the cups, fill all the way up if you want bigger muffins
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, 400 degree oven
9. Cool on a cooling rack
10. Freeze any extras

YEILD

18 -24 mini muffins

Trust me, your child will love them!