Recipe #17: Bran Muffins with Raisins

Bran Muffins with Raisins

These muffins had an unusual texture for a bran muffin. This was due to their having only All-Bran™ as their bran flour. The rest of the flour was all-purpose (i.e. white). Bran muffins are normally darker colored, usually from dark flour or molasses.

Nonetheless, these were quite good tasting, somewhat sweet and more cake-like than some of the earlier muffins (especially the blueberry-yogurt muffins). My tasters enjoyed them as much as I did.

I rate these muffins 5 out of 5. The recipe makes some interesting, tasty muffins!

Recipe #16: Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

These muffins seem designed to be "healthy"--the recipe called for oat bran, skim milk, egg whites, honey and plain yogurt in addition to blueberries and other more conventional ingredients. The recipe warned that they would not rise very high, and that is what happened, as you can see from the photo.

I found them to be a little too plain for my taste, more like bread, although my tasters said they liked them.

I would recommend these for anyone who likes a healthier muffin. I rate them 4 out of 5 because they weren't sweet enough for me.

Recipe #15: Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

These muffins were quite tasty and a hit with my tasters. I used frozen blueberries since I couldn't find fresh ones for a good price. I was afraid they would be mushy, but I did as recommended on the blueberry package and incorporated them frozen, which worked to keep their shape.

The only problem I saw was with the recipe. Once again, the predicted number of muffins was way off. The recipe said 5 or 6 muffins, but I knew that would be wrong because the amount of flour was 2.5 cups.

I would recommend these muffins!

I rate them 5 out of 5.

Recipe #14: Blueberry-Banana Muffins

Blueberry-Banana Muffins

These muffins were quite tasty--moist, slightly sweet and very fruity. The recipe called for three different fruits--blueberries, bananas, and pineapple juice concentrate--plus a small amount of orange juice concentrate (or triple sec). There was no added sugar, but the pineapple juice could be said to substitute for that.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins

However, the recipe did not make the number predicted: 18. A dozen was all I could get out of it, but I wasn't surprised, since the amount of flour was about the same as other recipes with that yield.

All in all, I liked the recipe and would make these muffins again, maybe adding some nuts.

My tasters were very pleased, so I give these muffins a rating of 4.5 out of 5 (for the yield discrepancy).

Next up: Blueberry-Buttermilk Muffins

Recipe #13: Blackberry Muffins

Blackberry Muffins

These muffins were somewhat plain, but they had big blackberries in them that made them a little bit sweeter.

The recipe was a bit strange, though, at least for me. It called for egg whites, beaten stiff, into which the blackberries were folded. Once that was done, the egg white mixture was to be blended with the rest of the batter. However, that batter was rather stiff and didn't yield to the egg white mixture very well, so the egg whites were quite flat by the time they were forced into the batter. That left me wondering why egg whites were used in that way when the result was the same as it would have been if the eggs were left whole.

Another strange aspect of this recipe was that it said it would make 5 to 6 muffins of the standard 2.75 inch size. When I saw how much flour was being used--2 1/2 cups--I was skeptical. That much flour should produce at least a dozen muffins, I thought, and I was right. It made 6 large muffins. Why the prediction was for 5 or 6 small muffins, I can't begin to answer.

Notwithstanding recipe problems, I thought they were pretty good tasting, and my tasters declared them to be good, so I rate these muffins at 4 out of 5.

Recipe #12: Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins

Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins

These muffins were good tasting. They had just the right amount of poppy seeds and a slight orange flavor from the orange zest.

I had a problem with the recipe though: in the book the recipe did not call for any liquid. When I first mixed the ingredients together, the batter was very thick, almost cookie dough consistency. I knew that wasn't right, so I decided to add some milk. Going by other recipes in the book, I added about 2/3 cup milk. That seemed to make the batter more muffin-like, so I went with it. Since the muffins turned out okay, I guess I made the right decision. It was annoying, though, to have to improvise.

Researching this book, I found that other recipes have some missing ingredients, pointed out by people who've posted on line about it. And as I've mentioned before, the pictures in the book often do not match what the muffins should look like based on their ingredients. I think the book was poorly edited and proofread; it seemed to me a low-budget publication.

But I will soldier on with it, making adjustments as necessary. The recipes do look interesting, after all, and I'm still eager to try them.

These muffins were deemed good by my tasters, so I rate them 4.5 out of 5, mostly due to the recipe glitch.

Next up: Blackberry Muffins

Recipe #11: Banana-Praline Muffins

Banana-Praline Muffins

This recipe made some very moist, very tasty muffins. The banana flavor was strong and went with the pecans very well.

The recipe was easy to make and quite similar to the other recipes so far.

I would definitely make this muffin again. It was also a hit with my tasters.

I rate this muffin 5 out of 5.