Blueberry Spelt Muffins

There's nothing that makes my Sunday morning ritual of reading the newspaper and watching CBS Sunday  morning with a hot cup of coffee more special than muffins or scones fresh from the oven for breakfast. When the farmer's market isn't on the Square and I can't get a scone from my favorite healthy scone purveyor each Saturday, I like to bake something special, freezing extras to be had for weekday breakfasts. Recently I was gripped by a craving for blueberry muffins, which were more than satisfied by this healthy and flavorful recipe. For those looking to explore "alternative" flours, spelt, which pairs beautifully with berries, is a great place to start, but even if you don't have an eclectic collection of flours as I do, these are still delicious when made with whole wheat pastry flour or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Subtly sweet, tender, and moist, these muffins are a great way to start any day, whether a relaxing weekend morning or hectic weekday, and healthy enough that you can indulge in the jumbo size without any guilt (as I did). On that note, because I made jumbo muffins instead of standard size (and my oven often seems to run a bit hotter than it should) I've left the baking instructions as written by Whole Foods, but I would encourage you to start checking the muffins early so they don't dry out. A solid version of an old standard, these muffins are sure to please almost any palate and a great way to get your family to enjoy whole grains.

Blueberry Spelt Muffins
makes 1 dozen regular-size muffins, or 6 jumbo muffins
from Whole Foods Market

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) softened butter or canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper muffin liners. In a large bowl, cream together butter or oil and sugar. Stir in applesauce, eggs, orange juice and vanilla.

2. In a second large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, zest and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter-egg mixture until just combined. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Raspberry Scones

Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week. While my husband is typically still tucked in bed, I go for a refreshing early morning walk, pick up my Sunday paper (which hopefully has been delivered by the time I get back), and make myself a delicious breakfast. Baked steel cut oats and omelets make frequent appearances on my breakfast plate, but I also frequently whip up a batch of muffins or scones, which has the added bonus of providing extras for the work week and to freeze for later. I bought some frozen raspberries at the farmer's market for another recipe, which happened to leave me with the exact right amount to make this simple, delicious scones. If you don't want to seek out spelt flour (available at well-stocked grocery stores, health food stores like Whole Foods, and even at my local Target), I'd recommend using whole-wheat pastry flour, or at the very least a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Spelt flour has so much more flavor than regular all-purpose flour that it only takes a bit of sweetness from some honey and fresh, tart flavor from the raspberries to round out the flavor of these delicious, healthy scones. The delicate, crumbly texture is a real treat; take care not to bake these scones too long and dry them out. I'm looking forward to adapting this recipe with other whole grain flours and berries as they come into season at the farmer's market and flooding the house with comforting aroma of fresh-baked scones for many Sundays to come.

Raspberry Scones
adapted from Food and Wine

2 cups spelt flour1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/3 cup canola oil 
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
1/3 cup hot water 
1 cup fresh raspberries
 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the spelt with the baking powder and salt. Stir in the oil, agave nectar and vanilla. Stir in the hot water, then the raspberries.

2. Divide batter into six even mounds onto the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with oil. Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Let the baking sheet cool completely on top of a rack.