Apple Cinnamon Bran Muffins

{i didn't know bran tasted so good}
I was always kind of against all bran infused foods because I thought that's only what heath nuts ate. Again, my palate is expanding. I now am in love with bran muffins. They were really healthy but they didn't taste like it. They kept me full so I wasn't craving potato chips 30 minutes later. Plus, I put huge chunks of fruit in them which just makes everything better. You should give them a try if you haven't already, and if you have.. well, good for you! Give this recipe a whirl when you are in need of a health snack!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cup whole bran cereal (not flakes)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
14 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 whole apples, skinned, cored, and chopped into chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or butter. In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over cereal. Stir to moisten; set aside.
In another medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, add eggs, yogurt, sour cream, and oil. Stir cereal and flour mixture into wet ingredients just until moistened, fold in apples.
Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling 3/4 full. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Serve warm and enjoy! 

Saskatoon Muffins with Crumb Topping

{Oh, Canada. You have really good berries}
I went berry picking the other day, Saskatoon (pronounced, sass-ca-toon) berry picking. I had never heard of a Saskatoon berry, I always thought that Saskatoon was a funny named city in Saskatchewan (pronounced, sa-satch-a-won)... I've learned so much, including how to say these funny names. This was my first time making muffins from scratch, I read lots online about how to do it- I first began my search by looking up recipes for blueberry muffins, since Saskatoon's are close to blueberries. And I landed on one, properly named "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" with over 300 positive reviews on allrecipes.com. I'll take it! Of course, I altered it a tad, and added lemon to my second batch.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh Saskatoon's or blueberries (you can add more)
Topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F, and line or spray muffin pans. Add flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Measure out veggie oil but don't pour it in the mixture, add the egg to the oil, and then add enough milk to fill the cup (a little more, I found was better, but not much). Mix into flour mixture until well blended, don't over mix! Fold in berries and vanilla. For the lemony ones, just add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon zest when you mix in the berries. 
This batter will be like glue, so your berries wont sink to the bottom! Genius! Fill each muffin tin to the top. In a seperate bowl, add all the ingredients for the topping and mix with a fork, until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. 

 From my berry picking: