I've been feeling like muffins for about a week now. Sort of an odd craving, I guess, but most mornings lately, I've been wishing I had something sweet to start my day--or any time of the day. Since the craving started taking over any
after-work fatigue, I finally got around to doing a little baking tonight. I got started a little late in the evening, so I kept it easy--which also meant substituting a few ingredients because I didn't want to run out to the store to pick anything up. And, of course, I wanted to keep it healthy, so I modified more than a few things. The result was better than satisfactory (taking into account all the substitutes I made), though my major regret was not adding chocolate chips--which doesn't really help with the healthy factor but always makes things taste better.
It's already well past 11PM now, so this will be short and sweet. Without further ado, here is...my cranberry pecan loaf! (Okay, so it's not muffins, but close enough).
Cranberry Pecan Loaf
Adapted from The New Best Recipe's "Cranberry-Nut Bread"
Makes one 9"x5" loaf
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
1. Mix together in a bowl:
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. baking soda
2. Stir together in a separate bowl:
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 3 T. vegetable oil
3. Pour the liquid mixture from #2 into the bowl with the dry mixture from #1, and stir together until just combined.
4. Add to the bowl and mix together:
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans (lightly toasted, optional)
- 1-1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
(add chocolate chips if you want, too)
5. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake at 375F degrees for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake an additional 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely before slicing (which I almost never do but should because cooling completely makes cutting easier).
I am a slow riser. There are people who get up, make themselves a cup of coffee, read the morning paper, watch the morning news, maybe even go for a jog or walk their dog, and then get ready for their day. I am not one of those people. I have perfected my morning routine to take less than 15 minutes to get ready for work so I can stay in bed for as long as absolutely possible. Of course, I sacrifice a few things in doing so--such as never changing my hairdo or uncoordinated handbags and shoes, but what is that in comparison to an extra 5 minutes of sleep?
On Sunday, I ran a 10K with some friends in the city (I'm referring to San Francisco--somehow it's just become known as "The City" to those who reside in Northern California, as though there really aren't any other cities in comparison) which started at 8AM. 8AM! Not to mention the drive to get there. This was going to be a challenge. Maybe it was the race jitters or fear (most likely fear because I didn't feel that ready for it), but I was up extra early, and running 6+ miles at 8AM in the morning turned out to be a pretty awesome and awe-inspiring experience.
The route included running across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was something I've always wanted to do, and the morning was simply glorious with the clear blue skies, glassy ocean, lush hills, and bright shining sun. It was as though just for that day, San Francisco's fog lifted and let the sun shine to lead me to the finish line (okay, a bit over-dramatic). There are times when I see something and wish I could reproduce that image I have in mind in a photograph--this is one of those times, just so I could show you how breathtaking it was.
I won't try to convince you that my breakfast cookies I baked last night were just like that, inspiring and glorious. They're full of whole wheat, oats, nuts, that wholesome stuff. They're not bad at all, actually, but they do make me feel good when I start the day with one (translation = healthy--remember, I'm a health nut!), and I like that they're called "cookies" instead of something like "bars", because it tricks me into thinking it's a really special bad-for-you kind of treat or reward. I used dried cranberries and pecans, but you can use any fruit and nut combination, or even chocolate chips! It won't be a jog across the Golden Gate Bridge on a bright, beautiful morning, but it might be enough to get me out of bed a little earlier than usual--just a little.
Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from Ellie Krieger on foodnetwork.com
Makes about a dozen
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Whisk together the following ingredients in a bowl with a wire whisk:
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 t. salt
2. In another bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the following on medium to high speed until combined:
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey
3. Add the following to the mixture from #2 and mix until combined:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup apple sauce (or strained carrot baby food, according to the original recipe)
- 1 t. vanilla extract
4. Combine the flour mixture from #1 into the mixture from #3.
5. Fold in the following:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup roasted, chopped pecans
6. Shape the dough into balls about 2-1/2" and flatten to about 1/4" thickness on the baking sheet. Be sure to leave about 3" in between each cookie. Bake for 14 minutes, and cool on rack.
