Where to begin…
As these muffins were baking in the oven, I was at my computer typing up a sentence, pressing delete, typing up a different sentence and then pressing delete. I couldn’t decide on a good opening so I’ll begin with this:
These muffins are awesome.
They were conceived out of two completely different aspects of my need for food.
That is to say, I’m the type of person that has to have a snack on hand at all times. The French have pretty regular meal times. Breakfast in the morning, lunch between 12 and 2, dinner at 8 – at the earliest. I’ve tried to adapt as much as possible to these appointed hours, but it’s sometimes impossible. I need some sort of healthy snack that will satisfy my cravings and isn’t the butter and sugar delicacies of the local boulangerie.
So we come to it: muffins. Ever since I first made these eggless muffins I’ve become obsessed with baking with Greek yogurt. Remember them? I’ve played around with a lot of different varieties of these muffins, from zucchini and pepper, to banana and chocolate, sweet and savory, honey, oatmeal, I’ve gone through at least a few kilos of Greek yogurt in the past few months and it’s now a staple in my house.
In all the different combinations and variations of the recipe I’ve made, these are by far the best. More and more I’m becoming a fan of baking with apples. They add sweetness and moisture and variety in texture. And they smell good when in the oven.
Step One
The candied ginger adds spice, bite, sharpness. The sugar surrounding the ginger also adds moisture as the muffins bake, which means no extra sugar is needed in the recipe.
Step Two
Easy? They are so easy. It’s like making a cookie. You can just throw it together, toss it in the oven and voila! Muffins.
Step Three
And I didn’t even get to the best part. They taste like doughnuts. Seriously. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a doughnut in five years, but when I bit into one this morning, the word doughnuts popped instantly into my mind. I loved them all the more. They were so good that after making the first batch, I made another batch the next day, because I knew these weren’t going to make it through the week as a mere “emergency muffin”.
- 150 grams Greek yogurt
- 1 medium Empire apple (about 140g), peeled, cored, and chopped
- 40 grams candied ginger, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp milk (I used unsweetened soy)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 70 grams all-purpose flour
- 70 grams whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix the yogurt, apple, ginger, oil, and milk until the apples and ginger are evenly coated.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, soda and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and gently mix just until everything has come together. The batter will be pretty thick and if you taste it here, it’s probably going to be kind of bland. Never fear! It takes on the flavor of the apple and ginger while baking.
- Fill the muffin tins evenly and bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool before un-molding.
These look wonderful, Holly. You had me at apple muffins, but throw in the word donuts and I’m sold. I’ve been apple crazy too recently, they are so versatile. I am excited to give these a try. I don’t have candied ginger in the house, but I will try your other suggestion and let you know how it turns out!
Let me know if you think they taste like doughnuts. I’m convinced they do, but like I said – I haven’t had a doughnut in who know how long.
When we first arrived in France it took a while getting used to the new, and late, eating habits of the locals. After we moved here we had to re-adjust to the new and earlier eating times. It’s funny how we just do it:) But like you in France I always needed a snack between meals. Your muffins look perfect and I love the name too:) Thanks for the link back Holly.