GUEST POST BY MY FAVORITE FOOD BLOGGER

I am so happy to have my very good friend Carrie of plums in the icebox share with you all one of her amazing recipes! Make sure to check out her blog and follow her on Twitter here for all of her latest happenings. Read her post below to find out how to make these apple-oat muffins! I will be getting a glimpse into her life tomorrow when my mom and I bake lots of pies for Thanksgiving. I have a feeling my blog may turn into a food blog over this Thanksgiving holiday. Don't worry, Carrie. I won't be able to make anything as good as you can! 

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I'm not usually the best baker, but this fall the weather (rainy and cold and blah) has made me want to stay inside and use my oven. These apple-oat muffins are easy to make and completely delicious. I added applesauce and yogurt so they would be extra moist, and wow, they were! The oats and the apples make these healthier than your average muffin, perfect for a Thanksgiving day breakfast (I even froze a few of these and plan to eat them for breakfast throughout the winter). Use whole-wheat flour to make these even better for you! If you're gluten-free, these are easily customizable; I made the muffins with 1 cup of Arrowhead Mills baking mix and 1/2 cup of rice flour. 

Apple-Oat Muffins
makes 12 muffins
total time: 30ish minutes
total hands-on time: 10-15 minutes

1 1/2 cups of flour 

1 cup oats
1/2 cup of brown sugar
dash of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

1/2 a cup of applesauce

1/2 a cup of greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)

1/2 cup of sliced almonds or other nuts (optional)
2 small apples, diced extremely small

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and mix..

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well.
5. Core and seed your two apples, then slice them into extremely small pieces. I left the skin on for more fiber, but you can peel them if you want.

6. Add the apple mixture and the nuts (if you're using them) to the batter and stir well again.
7. Spoon batter into muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes.

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

 

One of the many reasons I love the fall season is that pumpkin suddenly appears everywhere, especially in food! I spent my day off yesterday baking some pumpkin goodness. My favorite cookies are definitely oatmeal, but I tried a recipe that added some pumpkin to them. However, I do wish that I added some chocolate chips as well. Definitely try that! I don't usually post any recipes on my blog, but who says I can't? So, here you go!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter – softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter, honey and sugars until light and fluffy. 

Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla – mix well. 

Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. 

Chill dough for 30 minutes or overnight.

Use a small cookie scoop to place rounded balls of dough on a cookie sheet. 

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are light golden brown. 

ENJOY! 

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