Trail Mix Muffins

Trail Mix Muffin– ready to eat!

Thursday morning, I stepped into the kitchen trying to satisfy two needs. 1) Once again, I needed a yummy snack to take to work. 2) I could use a little baking therapy. If ever I’m emotional/worried/bored, baking will calm me down.

I wanted something moderately healthy, so instead of making cookies, which guarantee therapeutic success, I decided to tweak a muffin recipe to make it a bit more wholesome. I modified a Honey-Wheat Muffin recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book to make some delicious Trail Mix Muffins with raisins, coconut, and pecans.

The Ingredients

Trail Mix Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cooking oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, thinly sliced

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, and set aside. In another bowl, mix together beaten egg, milk, oil, honey, and lemon peel. Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in raisins, pecans, and coconut.

Grease muffin pan, and fill each cup to 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown. Remove from pan, and serve warm.

Dough right before distributing in pan

These muffins did exactly what I needed them too! They are not too sweet, filling, and easy to take with me when I ride my bike to work. They were also easy to make, but kept my attention long enough for me to calm down. Who can stay moody when there are fresh baked goodies around?!

Fresh out of the oven!

The pecans give a nice little crunch to an otherwise soft muffin, the raisins keep them sweet, so they don’t need extra honey or sugar, the coconut gives an interesting extra punch of flavor, and the lemon zest gives a bit of added freshness, and brings out the subtle honey taste. I’d say these muffins are a success!