Do you have a favorite community cookbook? I have a few, which I enjoy reading from time to time. The recipes are like a slice into someone else’s kitchen, and they’re personal in a way that many mainstream cookbooks are not.
Recently, Stonyfield Organic sent me the Yogurt Cookbook, which is a compilation of recipes submitted from people across the United States and Canada. The recipes were tested before inclusion in the book, and the pages come to life through the brief comments included alongside each recipe, along with the name and hometown of the contributor.
The Yogurt Cookbook was originally published in 1991–before Greek yogurt was mainstream. In following recipe (pulled and slightly adapted from page 57), I use Stonyfield’s French vanilla 2% Smooth & Creamy yogurt, which is slightly less thick than the Greek counterpart. This is a variety I always have in the fridge because my kids love it. The original recipe calls for plain yogurt, and you could certainly do the same. If you have thicker Greek yogurt on hand and wish to use that, simply add a few tablespoons of milk to the yogurt to make the consistency more similar to the non-Greek variety.
If you have a favorite community cookbook–be it from your church or any other community organization–feel free to mention it in the comment section below. Then enjoy these muffins, originally created by Laraine Draper of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada!
Yogurt Bran Muffins
Yields 18 large or 24 medium muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned or quick cooking oats
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup French vanilla Smooth & Creamy 2% Stonyfield yogurt (may substitute plain yogurt, although the vanilla adds a subtle sweetness in these not-overly-sweet muffins)
- 1 cup milk (I've used both non-fat regular and almond milk)
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or mild tasting olive oil (may substitute melted coconut oil)
- 2 cups oat bran
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (may substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour)
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup raisins
- Optional: oats for sprinkling on muffin tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line or grease muffins tins for 18 large or 24 medium muffins.
- In a small bowl, mix the oats with the boiling water, and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the yogurt, milk, molasses, and oil. Add the oat/water mixture and combine thoroughly.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oat bran, whole wheat or gluten-free flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients, and then stir in the raisins. Mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared muffins tins. (I like to use a large ice cream scoop with a release for easy transfer and evenly-sized muffins.) If desired, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a pinch or two of dry oats. Bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on size of muffins. When done, the muffins will be dark brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. (To ensure perfectly cooked muffins, check a little early and and extend cooking time, if needed, as all ovens vary a little.)
- To preserve freshness, I refrigerate the muffins in an airtight container, although they may sit for a couple of days, covered, at room temperature. These muffins freeze well, too.
A funny thing happened a few days ago… Stonyfield mistakenly sent me a case of their new OP protein shakes. There was a list of people who were supposed to receive the shipment, but I was not one of them. When my husband–who is typically not a fan of smoothies–tried one and said that I should buy these all the time, I figured it was worth mentioning…and thanking Stonyfield for the mistake. After my boys saw them in the fridge, they really didn’t last long. (And I had to dig into the recycling bin to get enough bottles for this photo!) My personal favorite? Vanilla.
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