Cranberry Orange Granola Muffins

3c small crumble granola

1c fresh or frozen cranberries - chopped
1c orange peel - thin sliced and chopped
1c nuts - almonds, walnuts or pecans - chopped

1½c unbleached organic white flour

½c oat bran

⅓c milled flax seed - golden or dark

1t ground cardamom

2t ground cinnamon

2½t baking soda

1t Himalayan pink salt

1c Morena pure unrefined cane sugar

3 eggs

1T pure vanilla

½c vegetable oil

2c buttermilk

In 3 separate bowls, combine each group of ingredients, using the largest bowl for the first.  Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of granola, nuts and chopped fruit.  Stir well with a heavy wooden spoon.  Pour in the contents of the liquid bowl, again stirring very well to be sure everything is completely incorporated.  Using a ½c measure, fill paper-lined muffin cups in a regular size muffin pan.  Bake in a 375° preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Mine didn't rise well, as you can tell from the photos, and weren't completely baked through, although they were still really good.  I changed the oven temperature to help with that.  I baked mine at 350° which wasn't quite hot enough.  Any leftover muffin batter can be stored in the 'fridge for a couple weeks, or frozen to use another time. . .Lin

Fruit and Granola Muffins

3c small crumbly granola*
1c chopped dried fruit
1c chopped almonds

1c white & (brown sugar... 

...or coconut sugar) in a 3/1 ratio

3 eggs - beaten

1T pure vanilla
½c vegetable oil

2c buttermilk

1½c unbleached white flour

½c coconut flour

⅓c ground golden flax seed

2t pumpkin pie spice

2½t baking soda

1t salt

In a large bowl, combine the first group.  Whisk the next group together in another bowl.  Sift - strain the dry ingredients into another bowl and give them a good stir to be sure they're all blended.

Alternately add the liquids with the dry ingredients to the big bowl, stirring well with a heavy wooden spoon.  Put a scoop of the batter in paper-lined muffin tins.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen.  If you only want to bake a dozen or so, it will keep in the refrigerator a while, or can be put in a heavy zip-type bag and frozen. . .Lin

This is my total adulteration of an old recipe my mother-in-law used to make.  The 6-Week Buttermilk Bran Muffins.  That is also an excellent one, with nuts and chocolate chips.  *Any flavors.  Today I used 2c of an oats and dark chocolate granola, with 1c of mango-coconut granola.

Ground Flax Seed Granola (gluten free)

Flax seed is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.  The seeds, which are often found whole in commercial granolas, must be ground into meal.  Our bodies can't breakdown the coating on flax seeds.  When eaten whole, their benefits are never tapped since they go through our systems, undigested.  Ground flax contains volatile oil that keeps best when stored in the freezer.  Actually all nuts and seeds should be refrigerated or frozen to keep their oils from turning rancid.

2c     long cooking oats

1/2c  slivered almonds

1/2c  ground flax seed

1t      ground cinnamon

1/4t   salt 

3/4c  fruit-juice-sweetened craisins -

          or raisins - dark or golden

1/2c  unsweetened shredded coconut

2T     dark, toasted sesame oil - 

         or melted coconut oil

2-4T pure Maple syrup - 2T for raisins

         4T for craisins

1/2T pure vanilla

In a non-stick pan, dry toast the oats and almonds, shaking-stirring constantly, over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes.  Add the ground flax seed, remove from the heat and continue to stir.  Cool slightly then sprinkle on the salt, cinnamon and mix well.  Stir in the craisins and coconut, mixing well.  Add the 3 remaining ingredients, combine well then spread in a 9"x13" baking pan.  Bake at about 185° for 15-25 minutes stirring the granola several times during baking.  This process isn't so much to 'cook' but to heat and dry the granola out.  Remove from the oven and continue to dry in the baking pan.  After an hour or two, put granola in Ziplock bags or airtight plastic containers and store in the refrigerator. . .Lin