I decided I wanted to make the healthiest muffin I could dream up.
Why? Because I wanted to feed it to my child! And there’s a secret ingredient. Read on to see what it is! I realized how good muffin “crumb” was for babies when I had one recently and pulled off little bits for Birch to eat. He LOVED IT! Since muffin is usually on the fluffy + spongy + soft side of the bread spectrum (aka no chewy crust), it melted in his mouth so he could enjoy one despite having no teeth. I was able to put little bits on his tray to feed himself.
(Disclaimer make sure bites are small and age appropriate, do not hand them the whole muffin, and never leave a baby unattended while eating!)
The Wholesome Ingredient List
- Whole wheat flour + oats
- Apple sauce
- Only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Whole milk
- A small amount of melted butter
- Egg
- And a secret ingredient….. a baby pouch!!
Yes baby food!
Before you click away, hear me out. Most of the pouches are fruit based – like applesauce – which many of us use for healthier baking! This one wasn’t a green kale puree, but instead had pumpkin, apple, peach, and buckwheat. You can simply double up on applesauce if you want OR you could boldly use one of the vegetable based pouches and see how it goes! Zucchini muffins are good right?!
Birch loves them. And I do too.
All that really matters is that the baby loves them. But the first grader (!) and I did too. Since there is minimal sugar involved, these really are not sweet. They are almost like a cross between a quick bread and a freshly baked whole wheat bread. But since I like my muffins not-too-sweet, these were perfect for my palate. I enjoyed them toasted with a little peanut butter on top.
The Recipe
Oh Baby Whole Wheat Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 baby food pouch 1/2 cup in the pouch
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin tin. Add wet ingredients in to bowl. Gently fold in remaining dry ingredients. Bake for 18 minutes and use a tooth pick to stick in center and evaluate doneness!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Such a good idea! I actually want to try these muffins for myself, they sound tasty!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Tonya says
Smart idea! Birch gives this recipe two chubby cheeks up!
JD says
These look like a quick prep item and they do sound wholesome! Two questions, though- any idea where the 1 hour 5 minute cook time that’s listed in the recipe facts comes into play? The directions say to bake for about 18 minutes. Even with prepping the recipe I don’t see how the total time required could total an hour. And the vanilla extract- is it supposed to be a full tablespoon as listed? I know I’ve made the mistake of accidentally typing tablespoon and teaspoon interchangeably… just want to be sure I’m not overdoing the vanilla!
Sorry if I’m coming across rudely. I promise I’m really not trying to! Thanks in advance for clarifying!
KathEats says
Hey! Thanks for those catches! I’m using a new recipe importer program and I think both were import errors that I should have caught on the editing side. Fixed now 🙂
JD says
Accidents happen! I don’t envy all you do to make this blog run, but I do appreciate it. Thanks for making the edits!
JD says
Well go me. That question mark up there was supposed to be a smiley face. Oops! Any word on when your site will support emojis? Lol
KathEats says
I KNOW – I want to write with them too!!
Kori says
Matt and I have loved incorporating baby food in baked goods just like one would with pumpkin, and we’ve also added them to smoothies and oatmeal. We’ve made sweet and savory oatmeal with different baby food combos. 🙂
Jessica says
This is such a great idea. I would have loved this back when we always had those pouches laying around. 🙂
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
So funny I was just thinking about making Kal some muffins!!!! I made him hummus without salt last week and it was a huge hit! Now onto baking I just might have to try the pouch idea !unfortunately he can’t have eggs or milk so I have my work cut out developing vegan recipes!
KathEats says
How did you feed him the hummus? On a spoon or let him attack it with his hands?
Kate says
Just jumping in to comment that the cookbook Bakin’ Without Eggs is a great resource that I use often for my egg-allergic son. Most recipes are easily made dairy-free as well. Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Bakin-Without-Eggs-Delicious-Food-Allergic/dp/0312206356/ref=sr_1_1?crid=C8IMFT32PUMS&keywords=baking+without+eggs&qid=1563382383&s=gateway&sprefix=bakin+without+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1
Cyndi says
Interesting. I also prefer less sweet muffins. I don’t have a baby but of course I could purchase a baby food pouch (I’ve seen some interesting combination in the grocery) but I think I could use mashed banana or pureed pumpkin (???) Thanks for sharing!
KathEats says
Yeah if you don’t already have some, just using applesauce or pumpkin would be fine!
Jenn says
I made with all applesauce my 10 month old and 4 year old didn’t like them I think I might try again and add some blueberries.
Mary says
My 11 month old and picky 3.5 year old both loved these!
Elyse says
These look perfect for my sometimes picky toddler. She isn’t super picky but she would eat Goldfish and milk all day if I let her so I’m excited to see jf she’ll like them!
Amy says
These turned out great! I added some flax meal and made them in a mini muffin tin, the cook time was 12 minutes for the smaller size. They are moist, very lightly sweet, and hearty. My 10 month old really likes them and it will be nice to save some in the freezer for later.
KathEats says
Thank you Amy!