Denver Post Oatmeal Muffins

This recipe was published in the Denver Post in 1986.  These are an excellent breakfast muffin with a much better flavor than you'd expect from the list of ingredients.

Yeah, yeah . . . I'm not a food stylist.

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain yogurt (very cutting-edge in 1986 . . . )
2 eggs or 4 egg whites
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Optional: Raisins or fruit chunks.  I like to add diced apple and a pinch of cinnamon and ginger.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter the muffin tins.  This makes about 18 muffins.

DO NOT use paper tin liners.  They will stick like nothing you've ever seen and you'll end up either wasting a lot of muffin or eating a lot of paper.  I've already made this mistake for you, so just trust me.

Combine the oats and yogurt and let stand for at least 30 minutes while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. 

Add the eggs and sugar and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients until just combined.

Fill tins 2/3 full and bake about 20 minutes.

Banana bread

This has a bit less oil than some banana bread recipes.

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a loaf pan.  Will bake 55 minutes.

4 overripe bananas
1 1/2 cups flour (I usually use 1 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup whole-wheat)
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
big pinch of allspice

Cream butter and sugar.  Toss dry ingredients together (no need to actually sift).  Add egg and mashed bananas to the butter mixture and combine thoroughly.  Fold dry into wet.  Spread into loaf pan and bake 55 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Archaic Aebleskiver

Equipment:

• Whisk or mixer with whisk attachment
• Knife for cutting apple
• Mixing bowls
• Spatula
• Aebleskiver pan 
• Pastry brush
• Skewer (You can use chopsticks if you don’t have a skewer.)

Ingredients:

• 1 apple (preferably tart and flavorful)
• Optional spices, possibly cinnamon and nutmeg
• 2 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter

Not in the batter:

• Additional melted butter for the pan
• Powdered sugar to top the aebleskiver

Peel and core the apple, then cut it into small pieces. Mix any spices in with the apple pieces. For softer, more cooked apples, heat the apple pieces. Set the apple pieces aside.

Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Set them aside.

In a different bowl stir together the rest of the batter ingredients until smooth, then fold in the egg whites.

Heat the pan until a drop of water sizzles on it. Brush melted butter into the pockets then add batter, not quite a pocket full. When the batter is bubbly at the edges, shove in some apple, stick a skewer into the ball, and flip it. Keep flipping periodically. An aebleskive is done when a (wiped off) skewer emerges clean.

Rebutter the pan right before adding more batter.

Serve your aebleskiver with powdered sugar on top. Modern aebleskiver skip putting the apples inside and are served with jam and such.

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JKB