Banana Oatmeal (wheat free) Muffins

This is a pretty simple recipe for a basic banana muffin, but the oatmeal makes it more dense and chewy than muffins made with wheat.  I wanted to make these a little more healthy, so I added flax seeds, cut out the white sugar, and reduced the sugar quantity substantially.  I added ginger because I really like the ginger/banana combination.

For 6 muffins, here's what I used:

1¼ cups old fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 tablespoon whole flax seed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
3/8 cup sugar 1 tablespoon sucanat
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Heat oven to 350F.  Blend the oats with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger in a food processor for about 10 seconds until fine.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until well mixed. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate.  Scoop into muffin tins and bake 30-35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and muffins are nicely browned.  Remove from tins and allow to cool for a few minutes; serve warm.

Conclusion:  Good.  Nice nubbly texture from the oatmeal, and also quite moist, with a very mild sweetness.

Original recipes:  Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins via Debbie Reichert Fitness, which was based on Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins via Well Traveled Wife.

Sour Cherry and Greek Yogurt Scones

This  recipe uses yogurt and a little olive oil instead of butter, which made me worry about the resulting texture.  I didn't want a soft, bready scone!  And while these are not as short as a traditional scone, they were much better than I'd feared.  The outside bakes up crusty, though the inside remains a little soft.

I followed the recipe as she suggested, using spelt (not sprouted) and whole wheat pastry flours.  However, I used dried tart cherries, and only 1/2 cup. (I should have used the whole cup) and sliced almonds instead of pistachios.  The other change was, because I didn't want to be bothered with honey butter, I added the 1/2 t cardamom right into the flour mixture for the scone.  They had a very light cardamom flavor, very subtle.  (The creator suggests that, as an alternative to the cardamom butter, add 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage into the flour mixture.) 

Here's what I used:

2 cups flour (half sprouted spelt and half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cup pitted sour dried tart cherries
2 dozen shelled pistachios, chopped sliced almonds (about 3 tablespoons)
Cream or 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  In a separate bowl whisk together oil, and yogurt. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture. Mix to combine.  Place dough on a well floured surface. Knead lightly to to incorporate all the flour, then mix in the cherries. Make a nice ball, being careful no to over handle the dough or the dough will be tough and pink. Flatten out the dough using your hand and make an 8 inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges. Brush with cream or beaten egg. Sprinkle with nuts and press them down lightly into the scones so they stick.  Transfer the scones to a baking sheet sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Cardamom honey butter
1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

In a small bowl, mix butter, honey and cardamom to combine.

Conclusion:  I omitted the cardamom honey butter. These were delicious and simple.  I'll be making them again.

Recipe:  Sour cherry yogurt scones with cardamom honey butter via Stir It Up! at the Christian Science Monitor