Baking can be less appealing in summer’s heat, but once fall sets in, firing up the oven can take the chill out of the kitchen in the morning or add a cozy element at dinnertime. Just like last week’s filling salad recipes, you can make the most of the season by baking with the flavors of fall. And by baking muffins and other quick breads, you can use your time in the kitchen to your advantage: by the time you’ve prepped your main meal, your freshly baked goodies are ready to eat.
This week’s recipes get a Twice as Tasty spin by doubling down on their flavors: fresh corn and cornmeal or fresh apples and homemade applesauce. The results explode with flavor, and the texture makes it clear you’re eating fresh ingredients. They’re also a sneaky way to use up the whey left after draining homemade yogurt. And if you’re not yet making your own yogurt and generating whey, these muffins are a perfect excuse to learn.
Ready to give it a try? Full details are in the recipe below, but here are the basics:
You need just 3 main ingredients plus a bunch of baking staples.
1. Prepare and bake the corn kernels.
2. Mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients.
3. Fold everything together.
4. Divide into muffin cups, bake, and enjoy.
Make it, share it. Tag your photos: @twiceastastyblog and #twiceastastyblog
Corn Kernel–Sage Muffins
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Fresh Yogurt whey or Cultured Buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 fresh red chili, minced (optional)
Slice the corn kernels off the cobs. Run the dull side of the knife along all the cut angles of the cob to extract the corn “milk,” adding the kernels and milk to a large glass measuring cup. In a food processor, process half of the corn until creamy. Combine with the remaining corn and milk in a large baking pan. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper, and sage. In a measuring cup, combine the eggs, whey or buttermilk, and butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until just combined, and then fold in the corn and chili, if using. Divide the batter among 12 buttered muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Pull the muffins from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Makes 12 muffins.
Tips & Tricks
- You can bake grilled and frozen kernels just as you would freshly shucked corn—just start checking the precooked kernels for softness halfway through the baking time.
- For one prep for two meals, bake a double batch of kernels, setting aside half for muffins and stirring a little salt, butter, and honey into the remainder before serving it as a side dish.
- For any muffins, savory or sweet (see below), just barely combine the ingredients so that they don’t become overworked and gummy. It also helps to butter your muffin tin well and to let the bottoms set up for a few minutes before you pull each muffin from its cup.
- Savory muffins go surprisingly well with a range of dishes or meals. Substitute corn muffins anytime you would otherwise serve cornbread. They’re delicious with jams, jellies, and other spreads. Serve them under eggs at breakfast, beside a salad at lunch, and with a bean dish for dinner.
Twice as Tasty
Corn muffins may be a pleasant surprise if you usually think of baked goods as sweets. Like Savory Herb Scones, they have just enough sugar to balance spicy or fatty main dishes, so they work well for breakfast or dinner. Apple muffins, with their natural sugars, tend to be sweeter, but replacing some of the sugar and oil with barely sweetened applesauce ensures they taste more like a muffin than a cupcake.
These muffins will quickly become favorites on autumn days. Fortunately, once you fall in love with these recipes, it’s easy to make them year-round: For the savory muffins, frozen Grilled Corn and dehydrated sage can easily replace their fresh counterparts. Apples store well and applesauce is an easy water-bath canning project, putting winter sweet muffins in easy reach. In either recipe, don’t be put off by the list of ingredients; most will be kitchen staples if you’re baking regularly, and combined they make a flavorful crumb.
Ready to give it a try? Full details are in the recipe below, but here are the basics:
You need just 3 main ingredients plus a bunch of baking staples.
1. Mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients.
2. Fold everything together.
3. Divide into muffin cups, bake, and enjoy.
Make it, share it. Tag your photos: @twiceastastyblog and #twiceastastyblog
Double Apple Muffins
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup smooth applesauce or Grandma Tiny’s Chunky Applesauce
1/3 cup Fresh Yogurt whey or milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups apples, peeled and finely chopped
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a large measuring cup, stir together the egg, applesauce, whey or milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones until just combined, and then fold in the apples. Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly brown on top. Pull the muffins from the oven, and let them rest for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Makes 12 muffins.
Tips & Tricks
- As with Corn Kernel–Sage Muffins, the double dose of apples fresh and as sauce packs these baked treats with flavor. I like the texture of chunky applesauce here, but you can always puree the necessary portion with an immersion blender for a smoother crumb.
- If you’re pressing your apples instead of turning them into sauce, you can use the cider in this recipe instead. For this thinner substitute, cut back to 2/3 cup of apple juice.
- Yogurt whey, like buttermilk, will give a slight tang to these muffins, which works well with their natural sweetness. For less tang, substitute milk. If you’ve already drained your yogurt and used up the whey in Yogurt Whey Berry Muffins or mashed potatoes, just stir in the thickened yogurt.
- The sweet apples and tangy yogurt in these muffins go surprisingly well with fried eggs, perhaps sprinkled with a little salt or cheese. For lunch, pair them with Warm Spinach–Cranberry Salad. For an unusual dinner pairing, serve them alongside Spanish Shrimp in Garlic Oil—or just save them for a slightly sweet dessert or late-night snack.
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