Recipe #7: Avocado Muffins

These muffins were not very sweet, but they had a lot of almonds in them which gave them a nice crunchy texture. Never having baked with avocado before, I didn't know what to expect. But other than their slightly green tinge, the muffins didn't show much evidence of avocado. They were quite moist, though, which was welcome. They were a bit salty, too, which may have been due to the avocado since the amount of salt that was added was average for the muffins I've made so far.

My in-laws declared them to be okay; they were expecting them to be sweet, so that influenced their assessment. But they acknowledged the moistness and crunchiness which they liked. We both decided that old-school muffins are not sweet, really, being more like bread. Muffins you buy today, we thought, are much more like cake than muffins, due to sugar-laden foods' being more popular these days.

I didn't get a photo of these muffins.

I rate these muffins 4 out of 5.

Recipe #6: Apricot-and-Walnut Muffins

Apricot-and-Walnut Muffins

These muffins sounded interesting in the recipe, but they didn't turn out exactly as I had imagined they would. The apricot was jam rather than fresh apricots, and the walnuts were on top rather than in the batter.

As you can see, the apricot jam collapsed into the muffin, causing the muffin to look collapsed. The jam didn't cook, so caused the muffins to be filled, which was okay, but it helped to know in advance that the jam would tend to squirt out on you when you bit into the muffin.

I thought the body of the muffin was kind of dry and bland, but my in-laws thought they were very good and nicely sweet.

So, I give these muffins a 4 out of 5, based on the combination of mine and my in-laws' assessment.

Recipe #5: Applesauce Muffins

Applesauce Muffins

These muffins had walnuts in them and whole wheat flour. They weren't very sweet, but they were hearty tasting. The apple flavor, coming from applesauce rather than apples, was not as strong as with the fresh apples in earlier muffins. But over all they were good muffins.

I rate these a 4.5 out of 5.

Recipe #4: Apple-and-Pecan Muffins

Apple-and-Pecan Muffins

These muffins were quite good tasting. They were more like cake than any of the muffins I've made so far. I could tell they would be by the larger amount of sugar, apples and oil in the recipe. The brown sugar gave them a richer flavor somewhat reminiscent of molasses. And though there were no spices in the recipe, they tasted slightly spicy.

So, I give these muffins 5 out of 5, with extra emphasis for taste!

Next up: Applesauce Muffins.

Recipe #3: Apple-and-Oat Bran Muffins

Apple-and-Oat Bran Muffins

This recipe seemed designed to be healthy, since it called for egg whites instead of whole eggs and used only 1/3 cup of sugar and not very much apple, even. It also featured whole wheat flour and oat bran to make it extra fiber-filled.

The muffins came out "woolly," as my husband termed it. By that I think he meant they reminded him of a sturdy wool sweater made out of nubby yarn. They were plain-tasting and not very sweet, but they were good in a hearty sort of way. They'd be good with soup, I should think. I don't think I'd make them again, however, as they were not sweet enough for me.

I rate these 4 out of 5 for being bland, but hearty.