Tuesdays with Dorie: Great Grains Muffins

February 1, 2011 · 33 Comments

I can’t believe it’s been more than two years since I first joined the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group. You’d think that with that much time, I’d have thought way in advance about which recipe I’d want to pick when my turn came around. But no, I hemmed and hawed for weeks; the decision wasn’t easy. Should I go with a rich and chocolate-y dessert? Should I pick a cookie, always popular with everyone? I love a good bread pudding–how about that? Maybe a buttery, dense bundt cake that would go great with ice cream?

In the end, I picked the humble but wholesome Great Grains Muffin, something that had caught my eye a while back. While all of the other options sounded wonderful, these muffins felt the most “right” for me. I started my blog three years ago with the intention of documenting healthy, wholesome and delicious foods that reflected my high-fiber, low-fat diet. Things that make my tummy happy. These muffins are exactly that–chock full of whole grains, dried fruit and heart-healthy nuts.

If you follow my blog, you know I always make small changes. For these, I didn’t use any of the white flour–I just used white whole wheat flour. And instead of 8 tablespoons of butter, I used 7 tablespoons of Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend. I replaced the maple syrup with raw honey. And finally, I added three tablespoons of ground flax seeds.

These were perfect in every way for me. I loved the nutty flavor and the light sweetness. I loved the crunchy grittiness of the cornmeal. And I loved the plump raisins–they added a lovely chewy texture.

I hope everyone liked these as much as I did!

Recipe: Great Grains Muffins
From Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Makes 12 muffins

Made with three different grains and plenty of buttermilk, eggs and maple syrup, these have character, great texsture and a heartiness that satisfies without a trace of heaviness. I like to add quartered prunes to the mix, but the muffins are also good with raisins, dried apricots, dried cranberries, a few chopped pecans or nothing additional at all. Ditto when it comes to spreads–they’re great with butter, cream cheese, a slice of cheddar, some jam or plain.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup quartered moist, plump prunes or other dried fruits ( cut up as necessary) and/or chopped nuts (optional)

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, eggs and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough–if the batter is a bit lumpy, that’s fine. Stir in the fruit or nuts, if you’re using them. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully lift each muffin out of its mold and onto the rack to cool.

Tags: Breakfast · Tuesdays with Dorie

33 responses so far ↓

1 caroline // Feb 1, 2011 at 12:38 am

delighted to see that i’m first to comment/congratulate you on your Dorie Day! :)

i’m happy you went with this recipe – it really does feel very “you.” it’s just the kind of muffin i’d imagine you to whip up for me on one of my visits. very wholesome-delicious. and as always, your pics are perfect.

i know this isn’t so much a blogiversary, but still wanted to let you know how much i love this little space you created on the web – it makes me so happy. don’t ever stop! heart you!
2 Cakelaw // Feb 1, 2011 at 5:15 am

Thanks for a great pick Christine – I adored these.
3 chocolatechic // Feb 1, 2011 at 5:32 am

These were soooooooooo good.

Thanks for a great pick.
4 Mary // Feb 1, 2011 at 5:47 am

I think these were the perfect pick! I upped the whole wheat flour a bit too, used mostly oil and blueberries, and I loved them! Thanks.
:)
5 Clivia // Feb 1, 2011 at 6:25 am

Great choice! I never would have found this recipe without your help. Thanks.
6 Kayte // Feb 1, 2011 at 6:30 am

Thanks so much for a great pick…I almost picked these when it was my turn as they looked so good. Mine were a bit flat on top, but never mind that as they tasted delicious. Top Five for us, really good. Yours look great!
7 Jacque // Feb 1, 2011 at 7:13 am

Yours look perfect! Wow, nice job and congrats on finally getting to choose.
8 Pamela // Feb 1, 2011 at 8:29 am

Flax seed! I wish I had thought of that. What a great addition. Thanks for the tasty choice!!
9 Gourmified // Feb 1, 2011 at 8:52 am

Christine! Your muffins look delicious! I LOVE the substitutions you made, too. YUM!!! It was fun baking with you this week.
Lisa
10 Michelle // Feb 1, 2011 at 10:08 am

You picked a very good recipe..I am going to make these again! I love your blog and I love your muffins..Thank you for being the hostess with the mostest!!!
11 Spike // Feb 1, 2011 at 10:17 am

loved these muffins so much I made them twice! Thanks for picking this recipe
12 Janell // Feb 1, 2011 at 10:27 am

I loved these muffins. I thought about making them healthier by changing them up a bit. I’m glad you posted your changes.
13 Cristine // Feb 1, 2011 at 10:52 am

Thanks for a great pick!
14 Jodie // Feb 1, 2011 at 12:43 pm

Thanks for hosting, these were yummy! My family loved them!
15 Valerie // Feb 1, 2011 at 1:39 pm

Thanks, Christine! These were surprisingly good! :)

You have a beautiful blog and I’m reminded that I need to do some serious TWD blog hopping soon.
16 lola // Feb 1, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Thanks Christine for a good pick and your healthy changes. It was nice to have something not quite so sweet. I gifted mine to neighbors and they loved them.
17 Mary // Feb 1, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Great pick…we loved them at my house. I used dried apricots and can’t wait to try another variety next time….
18 Jill // Feb 1, 2011 at 2:55 pm

I loved these! Great pick and the options are endless! I went with pistachios and cranberries.
19 Amber Marie // Feb 1, 2011 at 6:20 pm

Thanks for a wonderful pick this week! I’ve been eyeing these for a while! I also used honey instead of syrup, and they turned out well.
20 miss kate // Feb 1, 2011 at 6:42 pm

These were the loveliest surprise! Fantastic pick. I love when folks go rogue. :-)
21 Jaime // Feb 1, 2011 at 8:48 pm

humble but wholesome – I love that description! I enjoyed these, thanks for choosing this – I never would have tried these if it weren’t for TWD :)
22 Jill // Feb 1, 2011 at 9:49 pm

Great choice! I wouldn’t mind making these even grainier next time!
23 Great Grains Muffins TWD | Bake with Us // Feb 1, 2011 at 9:55 pm

[...] you want to try these out for yourself, you can head on over to Christine’s blog Happy Tummy for the recipe or better yet check out Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie [...]
24 Tracey // Feb 1, 2011 at 10:29 pm

Thanks so much for hosting this week! I’ll admit to being skeptical about the muffins, but I loved them, especially with chocolate chips :) Yours look wonderful.
25 Karen // Feb 2, 2011 at 8:54 am

Thanks for the fun pick! These were quick and easy and perfect for a chilly morning! :)
26 tia // Feb 2, 2011 at 9:47 am

yours look great! moist and yummy. nice job. thanks for a great pic!!!
27 Leslie // Feb 3, 2011 at 12:23 am

Great pick, Christine! These were a big hit here with chocolate chips, though I think I might, gasp, like your healthy changes even better!
28 Jenna // Feb 3, 2011 at 1:41 pm

Hi Christine! I’m glad you commented on my blog, because that allowed me to find yours! These muffins look fabulous, and I love your photography.
29 Joyce // Feb 3, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Just stumbled upon your blog – these look great! I love a good muffin recipe, so I will definitely be checking back for more!
30 dorie // Feb 5, 2011 at 6:51 am

Christine, I’m so sorry to be so late congratulating you on your beautiful muffins.

I’m often surprised at what recipes remain to be made and would have thought that these muffins might have been picked earlier. But I’m glad they were left for you because, as you said, they were just right for you and the way you cook and bake.

I love that you made these your own by substituting whole wheat flour and raw honey. And mostly I love that you loved them.

They’re great-looking!
31 steph (whisk/spoon) // Feb 7, 2011 at 3:20 pm

i am always so happy when someone picks a breakfast item, so thanks for a good choice! we liked these a lot–not too sweet, and i love the flavor of whole grains.
32 Rice Kernel // May 15, 2011 at 10:38 pm

I just came across your site and love the recipe variation. Much of our cooking is based on wholesome, seasonal ingredients so I particularly appreciate this recipe. Look forward to baking them up for breakfast tomorrow! Thanks.
33 Nicki // May 18, 2011 at 4:19 pm

I made these yesterday. And then again today. So yummy! I’ve been sharing the recipe with everyone I know. Thank you for such a delicious muffin!

HappyTummy