White House Honey-Oat Muffins

I am always in favor of using natural, unprocessed sweeteners instead of corn syrup or cane sugar in recipes. Sweeteners like molasses, honey, and maple syrup deliver the requisite sweetness along with nuanced flavor. In many recipes those subtle elements of flavor are present but still take a backseat to the primary flavors of the recipe but in these muffins the honey really gets to shine. I'm lucky enough to have access to dozens of different kinds of honey from local purveyors, so I greatly change the character of the muffin depending on if I use mild clover honey, bold buckwheat honey, or anything in between. Whole wheat flour complements honey particularly well, accented by a subtle hint of spice from the cinnamon and coriander. A simple, but crowd-pleasing recipe, this delicious and nutritious muffins will start any weekend morning off right.

White House Honey-Oat Muffins
adapted just slightly from Food and Wine
makes 12 regular size muffins

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry 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
2 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the oats with the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, coriander and salt.

2. In another bowl, whisk the honey with the buttermilk, canola oil and eggs. Pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients; mix just until combined.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes, until they're golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.