Many years ago when our son, Christopher was four years old, he adored muffins! His favorite was Carrot Bran, with Blueberry coming in a close second. Christopher is now Chris, and is all grown up, but he still loves muffins.

Here are the recipes for the two kinds of muffins he is most fond of. The Carrot Bran ones manage to be both healthy and luscious, while the Blueberry ones are really more like mini coffee cakes, studded with blue bursts of fruit and crowned with a cinnamon-nut streusel. Muffins are about texture as much as taste; the most important key is not to overmix the batter. The ingredients should be gently stirred only until combined. 

Carrot Bran Muffins

Carrot Bran Muffins

3 c. flour

2 c. wheat bran

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

4 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. molasses

3 c. grated carrots

1 c. raisins

Grate the carrots and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, wheat bran, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon. With an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, oil, applesauce, brown sugar, and molasses. With a wooden spoon, gently stir together the wet ingredients, the flour mixture, the carrots and the raisins. Only stir until just combined. Spray 2 muffin pans with cooking spray and fill 2/3 full with the batter. Makes 24 muffins. Bake on convection bake at 320 for 17 minutes. A regular oven would be 350 for 20-22 minutes, just until the centers are set. Remove from the oven; let cool for five minutes and then carefully lift each muffin out and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. white sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 large egg

1 c. whole milk (can use part buttermilk)

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

2 Tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Make the streusel topping: stir together the chopped nuts, 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cinnamon and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Measure out the cup of blueberries into a bowl; sprinkle a spoonful of the flour mixture over the berries and gently stir to coat. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins, and will keep them distributed throughout the batter. With a fork, whisk the egg and stir in the milk and melted butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into that center and gently stir with a spoon, bringing the batter from the bottom of the bowl up just to combine. Add the blueberries and gently stir to combine. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and fill each 2/3 full with batter. Makes 12 muffins. Sprinkle the streusel topping generously over each muffin. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 330 for 15 minutes. A regular oven would be at 350 for 18-20 minutes, just until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling. 

Our guard dog, Wilson, guarding the premises from any stray food that might be lurking about.