Healthy Gingered Muffins (in a snap)

Super healthy, flavorful muffins for breakfast anyone? These are a snap to make and smell like Christmas morning with all the fresh ginger, cinnamon and cloves wafting up from the batter. Grab a cup of coffee and you are all set to snuggle up and read the Sunday paper. For this recipe you will blend the wet ingredients in a vita-mix or regular blender, and pour that into the dry ingredients before mixing and scooping into small muffin tins and baking. The original recipe says to bake this is an 8x8 pyrex dish and cutting them into bars. You can do that too, but it would be "gingered bread" instead of muffins. Either way, they are delicious.

My friend Danielle made these for me one morning last week. The smell hit me smack dab when I walked in the door. It smelled like it was going to be a very good morning. When she told me what was in them, I couldn't believe how good they are for you, although, she cheated a bit and admittedly added chocolate chips and walnuts to hers. This is a great base recipe because like Danielle you can go crazy with any add in's you desire. Dried cranberries and orange zest would be lovely too.

If you have a mini muffin tin, use that and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin. If you want to make regular muffins, double the recipe to make 12 and keep an eye on them for cooking time. Directions below are for an 8x8 pyrex dish to make bars.

Healthy Gingered Muffins

adapted from the Vita-mix cookbook

makes one 8x8 pan

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites

1/4 cup molasses or honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 apple, quartered

1/2-inch thick slice of fresh ginger, roughly chopped, unpeeled

add in's- walnuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Stir together first six ingredients in a large -sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

Place water, egg whites, molasses, sugar, apple and ginger into vitamix or blender and secure lid. Blend on high (or puree) until everything is smooth (or almost smooth, if using a regular blender).

Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently. Add any add in's and fold in. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.