These are certainly the healthiest blueberry muffins I’ve ever made, and very tasty as well. While I was making them Saturday morning, Ryan and I joked that if they didn’t turn out well we’d feed them to the dogs. I can assure you that they are both human and dog-approved.

Let’s just go ahead and eat cake for breakfast! Or at least muffins.

Orange Blueberry Cranberry Muffins
Adapted from Eat Better America

I hope you’re like me and have a couple of cans of pumpkin still lurking in the back of your pantry. I know I’m not the only pumpkin hoarder out there!

Makes 12-14 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup fat-free (or non-dairy – I used soy) milk
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (from one small orange)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, lightly coat liners with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, orange peel, orange juice, and oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the four mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries and cranberries.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost full. Sprinkle with oats. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm (with butter!).

I’m drinking way too much coffee, painting my nails every week, typing away like a crazy person, definitely not straightening my hair, and loving fresh flowers. I am also killing eight zillion ants, going to Starbucks on Fridays, wearing yoga pants on Saturdays (without fail), and rearranging curtains and rugs. I’m looking for new things to hang on the walls. I’m feeling the need for a sewing project.

I also am apparently carb-loading…for life in general? Training…for a long week? It’s fine. Have a scone, they’re small.

Cinnamon Latte Scones
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Makes 20-24 small scones

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cut into pats or small cubes
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
2 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water*
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (low-fat is fine)
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water**
2 tablespoons coarse sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) a large baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Work the butter into the dry ingredients till the mixture is unevenly crumbly; don’t be afraid to leave some of the butter in pea- or marble-sized chunks. Add the chips, stirring to combine.

Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water. Gently stir the dissolved espresso and sour cream or yogurt into the dough, just till it’s well dispersed; the dough will be very crumbly. Add enough ice water to bring the dough together in a cohesive mass.

Gather the dough into a ball, and place it on a well-floured work surface. Pat/roll it into an 8″ to 9″ circle about 3/4″ thick. If desired, brush the surface of the dough with a bit of milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar (I skipped this but will do it next time!).

Use a 2″ cutter to cut about 20 scones, gathering the scraps and gently shaping into round scones without re-rolling. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving just over 1″ between them.

Bake the scones for about 20 minutes, till they’re golden brown. When you break one of the center scones open, the middle should be baked all the way through, not doughy or wet. Remove the scones from the oven, and serve warm.

*I got my espresso powder as a part of my Enjoy! subscription from Joy the Baker, which I highly recommend! So fun. You can find it here, or you can substitute one tablespoon of super-strong brewed coffee or espresso.

**I needed a fair amount of ice water to get my dough to come together. I would recommend filling a small dish (I used a ramekin – about 6 oz) with ice water and adding it to the dough by the tablespoon. I started with about 3 tablespoons, mixed it into the dough, and then added a tablespoon at a time until the dough came together.

If you’ve read here long at all, you know that I am a granola junkie! I love granola and almost never buy it, because it’s so easy to make and because I like to know exactly what I’m eating. This is my favorite granola recipe to date…and quite possibly the healthiest I’ve ever made! I dragged myself out of bed this cold and rainy Monday morning with the promise of granola for breakfast. It definitely helped.

One thing of note here is that I used bagged, pre-shredded carrots rather than grating them myself like I’d usually do for carrot cake. I had half a bag of shredded carrots sitting around and decided to go for it. Granola (and laziness) success! Because bagged, pre-shredded carrots are inherently more loosely packed and drier than freshly grated carrots, if you decide to grate the carrots yourself, I’d follow the original recipe’s guidelines for carrot and applesauce amounts. This is the lazy version! Because sometimes a girl needs a shortcut.

Carrot Cake Granola
Adapted from Make it Naked

I realize dates aren’t exactly a traditional carrot cake flavor, but what can I say, I had a date epiphany yesterday and felt in my soul that they needed to be included. They are SO DELICIOUS. But if you don’t like dates, use straight raisins all the way, or try some dried pineapple. Or skip the dried fruit altogether. I am not the granola police.

Makes about 6 cups of granola

2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup bagged, pre-shredded carrots
1/4 cup + about 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce*
1/8 cup agave nectar or honey
2 heaping tablespoons ground flaxseed
Zest of 1 large orange (or 2-3 small ones, i.e. clementines)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together oats and walnuts. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for raisins and dates.

Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir thoroughly until everything is moistened. Spread evenly over baking sheets and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is just short of desired crispness (it will crisp up a bit more once removed from the oven – mine baked perfectly in 30 minutes, but my oven runs a bit hot).

Let granola cool completely, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in raisins and dates. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

*I used one of those little individual applesauce containers (about 3 ounces), which was just the right amount!

Are you a granola freak like me? Find more delicious goodness here!

Ryan has been traveling on business for a couple of days and I wanted to make a little treat for his return home. He loves coffee cake and let’s be honest, I don’t exactly turn it down.

This coffee cake only has a few tablespoons of butter in it, thanks to the addition of yogurt for flavor and moisture. I used peach yogurt, but you could easily use strawberry or any other flavor you like! The peach flavor is subtle, but delicious.

Light Peach Crumb Coffee Cake
Adapted from The Best Light Recipe

Makes 12 servings

Scant 2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, softened, plus 1 tablespoon melted and cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup (about 6 ounces) low-fat peach yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan or pie plate, and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and mix it with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just incorporated, followed by the vanilla and one-third of the yogurt, scraping down the bowl as needed. Repeat the process twice more, alternating between the remaining flour mixture and yogurt until the ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan. Stir the 1 tablespoon melted butter into the reserved cinnamon mixture and toss gently with a fork until the butter is evenly distributed, creating some large pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the batter.

Bake until the crumb topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer the baking pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

This coffee cake is perfect for both of us! I don’t mind a lack of sugar when there is a CINNAMON punch involved. I’m not talking about a hint of cinnamon, I’m talking about a PUNCH! It’s October, folks. Let’s get on board with cinnamon everything (including candles, obviously).

This is an excellent coffee cake to make when it’s dark and rainy out. It’s perfect for snacking on when your house is chilly and you’re walking around in sweats and Ugg boots. And it’s really perfect when you have a beach trip coming up and you’re trying not to eat eight zillion extra calories. It’s also good for midweek mopes. Let’s make some coffee cake!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Applesauce Coffee Cake
Adapted from (never home) maker

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream (I used nonfat vanilla yogurt)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup cinnamon chips

For the topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a square baking dish (9″ x 9″)  or pie plate and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a smaller bowl, combine the yogurt, maple syrup, vegetable oil and applesauce. Then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Combine with a spatula until everything is wet/together — but resist over-mixing. Fold in cinnamon chips.

Pour mix into your prepared pan.

Then combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl using a fork. Spread mixture over your cake batter.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes — until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

I eat them out of hand, chopped up on top of my cereal, cooked into instant oatmeal, and sliced with a little peanut butter. And you’d better believe I’m baking with them! This weekend I made baked apple pie donuts and they totally tasted like apple pie. I wouldn’t kid about a thing like this.

We really love donuts, but we don’t love the greasy, slightly sick feeling we end up with after eating them. That doesn’t happen with baked donuts! I think I also enjoy them more knowing that I didn’t just eat an entire day’s worth of calories. And Ryan loves cake donuts, so baked donuts are just working for us right now. And I’m definitely putting apples in them.

Baked Apple Pie Donuts
Barely adapted from MomAdvice

Makes about 8 donuts

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped apple (peeled), about 2 regular apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

For sugar & cinnamon topping:
1/4 cup apple cider
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugars salt and and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the cold chopped butter, cut into tablespoons. Cut the butter with the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a pastry blender or fork.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the milk and fold in the chopped apples. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir using a spatula or spoon making sure not to overmix. Place two spoonfuls of batter into a greased donut mold pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the donuts are just golden. Allow to cool for five minutes. Pour apple cider into a small bowl; mix cinnamon and sugar into another small bowl. Unmold each donut gently; carefully dip each into cider and then cinnamon-sugar. Shake off excess sugar and serve immediately.

These zucchini muffins fall perfectly within those parameters. Zucchini bread is a classic summer treat, whether your zucchini is the result of a homegrown bumper crop or simply the rock-bottom prices on squash this time of year. It’s something I dearly love to eat, and healthy-ing it up a bit means I get to eat it more often. I win!

I love adding chocolate chips to my zucchini muffins and bread (and most other things), but Ryan’s less chocolate obsessed and prefers add-ins like dried fruit and nuts, which gave me the idea to go two different ways with this batch. I divided the batter in half, adding chocolate and unsweetened coconut to one half, and dried cranberries and sunflower seeds to the other half.

I can’t decide which version of these muffins I like more! Both are sweet and moist and, against my better judgement, I kind of love the nutty earthiness of the cranberry-sunflower seed variety. Make some of each kind or pick the one that suits your fancy — you can’t go wrong with these.

Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Simple Bites

Makes 20-22 muffins (or 10 giant ones)

Because I wanted to make some of each variety of muffins, I divided the batter in half and used 1/4 cup of each add-in. Feel free to go this route or add in other tasty things — use what you’ve got! If you prefer a loaf, use a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and six muffin cups, and bake the loaf for about 50 minutes.

For the muffin batter:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup plain yogurt*
1/3 cup buttermilk**
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini

For the add-ins:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, or
1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin tins with papers and lightly spray the papers.

In a medium bowl, sift together flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy; beat in eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Combine well. Stir in grated zucchini. Fold flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in add-ins.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool about 5 minutes in the pans. Remove muffins from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

*I used vanilla yogurt and omitted the vanilla extract.

**I used soy milk, but you could also use regular milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice added.

To be fair, I really don’t like oatmeal. I’m not a fan of the mushiness. But Ryan loves it and I figured this recipe had enough fruit and walnuts and cinnamon involved to be palatable for myself, the oatmeal snob. I still hedged my bets and made a half-batch.

I’ll be honest — this is the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time! I am in love with this oatmeal. It’s wonderfully rich and perfectly spiced. And it’s not mushy! Baking gives the oatmeal a wonderful, chewy texture, more akin to bread pudding than normal oatmeal: soft, but not slimy. Amen to that.

Berry Baked Oatmeal
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day via Shutterbean

I’m definitely making this again as soon as possible, and making a full batch this time! If you want to be a chicken like me and make a half batch, use an 8″ square baking dish.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup cane sugar or maple syrup (plus more for serving)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups whole milk, plus more for serving*
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted & cooled slightly**
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (frozen is fine!)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter the inside of an 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, half of the walnuts, the sugar, baking powder & cinnamon.

In another bowl mix the milk, eggs, half of the butter and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Arrange the bananas in a single layer at the bottom of your baking dish. Sprinkle 2/3 of the berry mixture on top. Pour the oat mixture on top and then slowly drizzle the milk mixture on top of that. Give the baking dish a few thwacks (love that word!) on the kitchen counter to make sure the milk moves all around the oats. Scatter the remaining berries and walnuts on top.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Drizzle the remaining butter on top and serve. Drizzle maple syrup on top and top with a little bit of milk. Enjoy!

*I used light soy milk here because I have lactose issues, but I’d recommend it for anyone in this case — it adds much more richness than dairy milk for about the same amount of fat as skim milk.

**If you use unsalted butter or margarine as I did, add a pinch of salt to the oat mixture.

I’d never had cornmeal pancakes before, but they sell them at Ryan’s favorite breakfast spot and I’ve been curious about them. And I honestly don’t know why I was so excited about making these with cherries, but shoot, I can’t stop eating the dang little things. And these were seriously good pancakes – maybe the best I’ve made.

The texture of these bad boys can’t be beat. Using the muffin mix made the pancakes come together so quickly and simply. I’ll definitely be making them this way again! They’re light but still hearty, flavorful but not overly sweet like so many pancakes – which leaves plenty of room for seriously sweet blueberry sauce. Oh yes, I went there. On Saturday morning. But let’s be real — I made the blueberry sauce sometimes around Thursday night. Saturdays are for sleeping in, right?

As for this blueberry sauce, it’s phenomenal. I bought several pounds of blueberries on super sale last week, and although we ate most of them on our cereal or out of hand, when I read the recipe for this sauce I stopped eating the blueberries and got in the kitchen with the rest of them. I zested a lemon and went to town. It was a pretty good Thursday night. And I’ve been eating the sauce ever since, on pretty much everything I could think of, but using it to top these pancakes was a high point. Seriously delicious – let’s do this!

Cherry Cornmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Shirley J

Makes 8-10 pancakes

2 cups (add water only) corn muffin mix
1 1/2 cups milk (of your choosing)
1 cup pitted, halved cherries

Preheat oven to 250°F, and place a small cookie sheet in the oven. In a large bowl, stir together muffin mix and milk thoroughly.  A few lumps are okay, but you don’t want dry clumps of cornmeal in your pancakes!

In a large skillet or griddle, heat a little oil on medium-high. Working in batches, spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Place 2-3 cherries on the surface of each pancake, pressing each cherry down gently with one finger. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on the surface (about 2-3 minutes), and then flip gently and gently press down on the pancake with the back of the spatula for a few seconds. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. When each batch of pancakes is finished cooking, transfer pancakes to cookie sheet and return sheet to oven to keep pancakes warm. Repeat until you’re done cooking! And then eat some dang pancakes (with homemade blueberry sauce, if you’d like).

Homemade Blueberry Sauce
My Baking Addiction

Makes about 2 cups*

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar**
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Slowly stir the corn starch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the blueberries. Simmer until the homemade blueberry sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla and lemon zest.

*This can be made several days ahead! Do it. You’ll be all set come Saturday morning.

**Next time I think I’ll reduce the sugar – maybe to 1/3 cup? If you like your sauce super sweet, stick with 1/2 cup.

This is a sponsored post. Shirley J provided corn bread/muffin mix for my use, but my opinions (and the resulting calories) are definitely my own.

It’s Monday afternoon, my brain is basically fried, and I’m listening to Katy Perry (guilty pleasure) on repeat. Can you relate? Go make yourself some muffins!

These muffins taste like cherry pie in the best way. They’re sweet and flavorful while still being light and fluffy. And yes, I’m leaning towards the healthy these days (so that I can justify things like Chinese takeout on the weekends) — but you’d never know it on this one.

Cherry Coffeecake Muffins
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Makes about 16 muffins

scant 2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt
2 cups pitted, coarsely chopped cherries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line muffin tins and set aside.

Whisk together 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup of the flour mixture to a small bowl and mix in the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, and add to the cinnamon mixture. Toss gently with a fork until the butter is evenly distributed (mixture will look like large pea-shaped crumbs) and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat remaining 3 tablespoons softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until combined, about 30 seconds.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture followed by half of the yogurt. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture and the remaining yogurt. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

In a small  bowl, (the last one, I promise!) combine cherries and the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Fold floured cherries into batter gently.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the batter. Bake about 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool for a few minutes in the pan before transferring muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!