Blackberry Muffins

Its a great year for blackberries in Ireland!  The past two days I've been out picking.  This year they are big fat and juicy but also sour.  I've been playing around with a low sugar/low fat muffin/cake recipe for a few weeks. Using my all time fav zucchini muffin recipe I replaced almost all of the oil with that old standby of apple sauce.  Also cut down the sugar (hey apples are Sweet!!!).

Blackberry Muffins
For 12 Muffins
2 apples
2 eggs
1/4 cup of sugar (If you want a sweeter use 1/2 cup instead)
1/8 cup of rapeseed oil
1 orange (the zest and juice)
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cups blackberries

 Oven 170c.  Peel and chop the apples.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and cook till soft about 5 min.  Blend or mash.  Cool a bit.  Mix with wet: eggs, sugar, oil, orange and vanilla.  Add the dry: flours, spice, salt.  Mix and add blackberries.  Fill the muffin tin and into the oven for about 30 min. 

These are a great breakfast muffin.  Most and not very sweet.  If you are used to  white flour, oil and sugar you may need to add 1/4  cup more sugar the first time you try this recipe.  The blackberries are soar this year so I'm going to add it next time!

Banana Carrot Muffins

Bananas that look like this can only be one of two things: ice cream or bread. Paired with carrot and green cardamom these bananas became yummy muffins. But oil free and with just a bit of sugar, these may not be for everyone.

Heat the oven to 150c.

Dry:
2 cups flour (can use 1/2 whole)
1/4 cup shredded almonds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground green cardamom (seeds only)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
dash salt
Mix

Wet:
3 mashed black bananas (no peels)
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the wet into the dry. Spoon into muffin paper liners (they are a bit bigger than cup cake liners). Cook until golden brown tops (20-25 min).

Makes 9. Great with my mother-in-laws sour cherry jam.