White House Honey-Oat Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I won't go so far as to say these are healthy muffins, I will say they are probably better for you than most you've come across. I found this recipe in a very old issue of Food and Wine magazine, and it caught my eye and was clipped because of its pedigree. Spike Mendelsohn, a former contestant on Top Chef, apparently made these muffins for Michele Obama, who liked them, and, hence the "White House" moniker was appended to his recipe. I've wanted to try them for a long time and the holiday gave me a chance to make them for a guest who is a fan of not too sweet, breakfast pastry. She really liked these. Now, I must warn you that these muffins, when baked, will win no beauty contests, and because they are just barely sweet, be sure you know the audience you're going to serve them to. That being said, the muffins are quite good and easy to make. I do, however, want to alert you to a small problem I encountered when baking my first batch. Now, it may be that the size of standard muffin pans has changed over the years, but if newer pans still have cups that hold 3-1/2 ounces, this recipe will make more batter than you need to fill 12 cups. Don't overfill the cups or you will have a mess on your hands when you try to unmold them. Please don't ask how I know. Somethings are better not shared with the world at large. Second time around, I was able to make 16 muffins using the ingredients listed below. If you like to start your day with a muffin and enjoy pastry that is not too sweet, you'll enjoy these. The honey and coriander give them a unique flavor that is worth a try. Here is how they are made.

White House Honey-Oat Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients:
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil or a combination of 1/4 cup each butter and oil
2 large eggs

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. You will probably need 4 to6 additional muffin cups.
2) Mix oats with both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, coriander and salt in a large bowl.
3) In another bowl, whisk honey with buttermilk, canola oil and eggs. Pour honey mixture into dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
4) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes, until they're golden and a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 12 to 16 muffins.

                    

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