Baked Sunday Mornings: Cowboy Cookies

For this week's Baked Sunday Mornings, we got to make something we don't usually make for this group: cookies. Cowboy Cookies, to be exact. And I have to tell you, I was really excited for these cookies! Yet another play on sweet/salty flavor pairings, these are unique and delicious.



At first glance, these may just appear to be your standard, everyday chocolate chip cookies. No, sir, that would not be entirely accurate! In fact, these are chocolate chips cookies, but enhanced. They are enhanced with a heavy dose of oats and my personal new favorite cookie ingredient, salty pretzel sticks. This has to be one of the greatest ideas ever! I'm telling you, the first time you bite down on a bit of pretzel, it's a surprise. But it's an incredibly pleasant one. The crunch, the salt, the flavor; it all just works so well! If you are a fan of chocolate covered pretzels, consider this your cookie.

I love the addtion of the oats, too, although I would not have thought to put them in there if the Baked boys hadn't told me to. It's definitely not your grandma's oatmeal raisin cookie, that's for sure! In fact, I'm glad there are no raisins or nuts in these cookies, because neither are needed at all. This cookie is different, but familiar. It's indulgent, but hearty enough to seem at least a little bit good for you. I don't think I need to do any more convincing here; you just need to make them!

I'm eager to see if everybody else in the group were as blown away by these cookies as I was. I hope so! You can see all the yummy results over at the blogroll, here.

CEIMB Rewind: Breakfast Cookies

There won't be any post about Ellie's Muesli Parfaits today, unfortunately. Those parfaits were the assigned recipe for today, chosen by Sarah of Sarah's Kitchen Adventures for Craving Ellie in My Belly. However, I opted to do an Ellie rewind instead.

Why? Well, the main reason is because I really, really dislike yogurt, and that is one of the main ingredients in the Muesli Parfaits. And while I have been known to forge ahead and make recipe of Ellie's that I don't think I'll like, I had to take exception with this one. I wish I could like yogurt, but there just seems to be no getting around it. I could have made this recipe for my husband, but I had actually just made Ellie's Breakfast Cookies late last week, and it just felt like doing a rewind here would be a good way for me to blog about them.

These Breakfast Cookies were made all the way back in the first week of July of 2009, nearly two years ago! I was not yet part of the group, and may never have known about this cookies, since they are not found in either of Ellie's cookbooks. But I've seen them on Food Network's website and they are reviewed very well, so I wanted to give them a shot. Plus, I'm building up a small arsenal of portable baked goods that I can take on my upcoming trip to Disney World (whoo-hoo!), and these fit the bill nicely.

The ingredients list for these cookies is long, but the recipe itself is very simple to put together. The cookies are made from, among other things, whole wheat and all-purpose flour, rolled oats, bran cereal, raisins, and walnuts. I substituted pistachios for the walnuts, and Fiber One Bran Cereal for the bran flakes. Also, I had no carrot baby food, so I just used some unsweetened applesauce. The cookies turned out hearty, tender, and just sweet enough. I think maybe two of these could suffice for a nice breakfast; one may not be quite enough. Still, I am very excited to take these on my trip for quick morning fixes!

Thanks to Sarah for hosting this week, and I do apologize for not making these along with everybody. If you're curious about whether the other members of the group liked their parfaits, be sure to check out the blogroll, here!

Cocoa-Coconut Granola

I made this granola about a month ago, and for some reason I never got around to posting about it until now. It's not because I forgot all about the granola; in fact, I eat a bit of it every other day for breakfast. I stir it into a bowl of cereal, and it really gives the cereal some heft. Whole grains, sweet coconut, and a nutty crunch combine to provide energy to your morning and a great balance to your daily first meal. Add a serving of fruit and a cup of coffee to the cereal/granola combo, and you've got it made!

I love this twist on the traditional granola because it adds a kiss of cocoa flavor, warm spices (in the form of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom), and sticky-sweet agave nectar to the more tired formula. It creates a unique granola, one that I've become hooked on and have looked forward to every single time I've had it. And, this being my first time making granola, I've been very pleasantly surprised with 1) the sheer simplicity of making this myself, and 2) how well it keeps! I've had this stuff in an airtight container for the past month, and it's still perfect! It doesn't require refrigeration; all the ingredients, for the most part, are pantry staples. I couldn't have been happier to discover yet another grocery-store purchase item that I can now conveniently make in my own kitchen. I defy you to find a box in the cereal aisle of granola that tastes as good as this!

Cocoa-Coconut Granola
adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches
makes 3.5-4 cups granola (I cut the original recipe in half)

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled and roasted
1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Large pinch each ground nutmeg and cardamom
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. agave nectar
2 Tbsp. honey
6 Tbsp. applesauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (from cocoa powder through brown sugar).

2. In a small saucepan, combine the agave nectar, honey, applesauce, and olive oil. Warm the ingredients just until the mixture is extra runny; pour over dry ingredients. Mix until everything is coated in the wet ingredients.

3. Pour the mixture into a large glass baking dish (or several cookie sheets that have sides) and spread evenly in a single layer. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, removing from the oven every 15 minutes to stir the mixture. Once the mixture has almost completely dried out, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Mine has kept for about 4 weeks now, and it's still just as great now as it was the day I made it!

CEIMB: Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

Okay, I'm not proud to admit it, but I almost did not participate in Craving Ellie in My Belly this week, and it was all because we were supposed to be making oatmeal. Ellie's Vanilla Spice Oatmeal, chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet, was not something I ever even considered making when I first purchased her So Easy cookbook. You see, here's another little-known bit of trivia about me: I can't stand oatmeal.

Yep, it's true. Or at least, I was pretty sure it was true up until this past weekend. I know I have been offered oatmeal in the past. I've turned it down every time. If I had to pinpoint my utter disgust concerning the mere presence of oatmeal, I'd say it's because of the texture. I'm just a big weirdo when it comes to food textures, and in particular I'm completely not a fan of mushy textures. Mashed potatoes are not my friend, and neither are grits, polenta, or even cream-based soups. So oatmeal certainly falls into that category for me.



When I first learned what we were to make this week, I told my husband, and then said that I would be choosing an Ellie rewind recipe from before I joined the group. I figured I would just make something else in place of the oatmeal. But then he asked me, "Why not just make it?" And you know what, I realized he was right. Why not? Neither of my children had ever eaten oatmeal (because I would never make them eat it, nor did I want to buy it and prepare it for them!), and it has been years since I last tried it. The truth is, my horizons have broadened so much in the last few years. I'm trying (and liking!) so many things now that I never dreamed I would. I've been pleasantly surprised so many times by foods that my former self could not palate.

And so, I decided right then and there, that I would make the oatmeal after all! At best, I would discover that I really did like it. At worst, I would just try it again and see that my suspicions were justified. Either way, no harm done.



In the end, I have to be honest. Me and oatmeal will probably never be bosom buddies. I loved the ease of making oatmeal from scratch (because I honestly had no idea it was so simple and fast!) and I did love Ellie's add-ins. She incorporates vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans for crunch. She added raisins to hers; I added dried cranberries. However, that darn texture is just not something I crave, or particularly enjoy consuming. I thought it tasted very good, but the mushiness is tough to deal with. Turns out, my husband is not a huge oatmeal fan either! I thought that was ironic and hilarious, considering he is the one who convinced me to make it! So he liked it okay, but wasn't in love. My five year-old son really did not care for it, but I had a feeling he wouldn't, so there were no shockers there.

I'm glad I revisited oatmeal, just so I could know for sure that it's just not our thing. Sorry I could not report some big culinary epiphany, though! I wanted it to work out better. Thank you to Mary for pushing me past my comfort levels! For the full recipe, you can go here, to Food Network's website. For the full CEIMB blogroll, click here.

Monster Cookies

In honor of my son's birthday party, which was Sesame Street-themed, I baked some Monster Cookies. Get it? Sesame Street's full of monsters, so I served cookies named after them! Oh well, I thought it was clever.

These cookies, like so many baked goods I have made lately, are straight out of my Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook. Talk about a behemoth of a cookie! This one's got just about anything I could ever ask for in a cookie: chocolate chips, oats, peanut butter, M&Ms. And they are generously sized; the recipe indicates you should scoop 2-Tablespoons' worth of dough per cookie! The result? A big, chewy, delicious, hearty cookie that will please any crowd.



Now, one quick observation I made. Along with these cookies, I also baked the Chocolate Chip Cookies out of the same cookbook. These, while also delicious, turned out a bit differently than expected. Because the recipe calls for dark brown sugar, the cookies come out of the oven so dark one might think they had burned. I mean, I am only guessing here, but I believe that the dark brown sugar is the reason for this. Once you get past the way they look, you're pleasantly surprised at how flavorful they are. Plus, this recipe actually calls for an entire bag of chocolate chips, plus nearly half of another bag! I wasn't sure I would like the cookies that loaded down with chips, but they were very yummy. If you would ever like to attempt those Chocolate Chippers, I found the recipe on the How To Eat a Cupcake blog, here.

In the meantime, though, you should absolutely try these Monster Cookies! I'm already planning on making these a part of my Christmas cookies tray this year. One final note: I thought it was strange that this recipe called for cold butter, when normally you need softened butter for a cookie recipe that requires the creaming method. However, I saw why this worked after I had added all 5 (5!) eggs and the peanut butter to the mix. These two added ingredients make it so wet, I was glad the butter hadn't been super soft when I began. Anyway, I just wanted to say that the cold butter instruction was not a typo, as I had originally thought. It does work out great that way!





Monster Cookies
adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
makes about 24-36 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
5 3/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 tsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups creamy peanut butter (I used half creamy, half chunky)
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) M&Ms (Reese's Pieces would be a good idea here, too!

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the oats and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and pale in color. Add the sugars and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth (about 20 seconds) and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.

3. Scrape down the bowl and add the peanut butter. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add the oat mixture in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 5 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out the dough in 2-Tbsp.-size balls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies just begin to brown. Let cool on the pans for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

CEIMB: Energy Bars

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was very exciting for me; I'd been wanting to try these bars for a long time. These Energy Bars, selected by Liz of My Table, Their Table from Ellie's The Food You Crave book, are a tasty, healthy way to get a granola bar fix.

I am definitely no stranger to the fun of making homemade granola bars. I do it quite often; in fact, I always have a bag of them individually wrapped in my freezer, ready to be taken out in the morning whenever I need one. And it just so happened that I was beginning to run low when this fabulous Ellie recipe came up in the rotation! So, I eagerly embarked on the preparation for these bars.

I never knew you could prep all the ingredients by simply throwing them all in the food processor! Seriously, I thought this was genius. It could not possibly have been easier! No chopping of nuts and dried fruits, and no big chunks of anything in the finished bars. Everything is tiny and uniform in these bars, and the flavors all come together and meld wonderfully.

Now, normally I am the only one in my household who takes advantage of the full stock of granola bars I keep in the freezer. However, that all changed with these bars. My 22 month-old son is addicted to these things! He scarfs down half of a bar, then shoves the other half into his mouth all at once, so eager is he to get to all of that goodness. I'm so happy to be able to share my granola bar love with him. My husband thinks they're awesome, too, so I have to make sure I keep my eye on the rest of this batch!

I do have a confession to make, though. I didn't stick exactly to Ellie's recipe. Based on my own preferences and what I had on hand when I made them, the add-ins changed a bit. I used golden raisins, dried cranberries in place of dried apricots, pumpin seeds in place of sunflower seeds, and then I threw in a bit of dark chocolate and a touch of butterscotch chips. I know, I know, that made them slightly less healthy than they were intended to be, but my, were they scrumptious!

If I had any complaints about this recipe at all, it would be that the bars are way too small to be satisfying. That was our opinion, anyway. I cut 18 bars instead of the 24 Ellie called for, and I still found them to be super tiny. Still, if that's the worst thing I can say about this recipe, then I'd say this was a great success!

Many thanks to Liz for the superb pick this week. If you'd like to view the original recipe, it's here. And if you'd like to check the CEIMB blogroll, it's here.

Spicy Oatmeal Crisps (with Hershey's Kisses "Frosting")

The urge to do some baking that was somewhat fall-themed hit me big time recently. Among other things, I wanted to make some oatmeal cookies that had nice, warm, fall-ish spices in them. I had found an intriguing recipe some time ago in Cooking Light magazine that called for freshly ground black pepper as one of the ingredients.

Meanwhile, I had gone shopping at Target while I was brainstorming cookie ideas. There, I found some awesome Hershey's Kisses in a couple different fall flavors. Since I have a weakness for Hershey's Kisses, particularly the ones in unique flavors, I picked up a couple bags. After I got them home, though, I decided that I didn't really want all that candy just lying around the house. I needed to be able to do something with them that would use up a whole lot at once.

Suddenly, inspiration struck! I could make the oatmeal cookies, and then place a Kiss in the center of each, just like those yummy peanut butter cookies that you see a lot around the holidays. I was excited to see if it would work.

Well, it didn't turn out exactly as I had dreamed. Turns out that because the Kisses (in Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple flavors) were filled with a creamy center, they did not really hold up well to being placed on a freshly-baked cookie. I had taken plenty of pictures of the Kisses melting on top of the cookies, but....well, they actually looked a little bit offensive! These oatmeal cookies spread out a lot while they are baking, so just one Kiss on top of each cookie looked silly, considering how wide the cookies are. However, when I started putting two Kisses on top of each cookie, it just looked even funnier. Plus, they were melting into two little puddles and just generally not obeying my wishes at all! Sigh.

But then, I had a fantastic idea. If the Kisses were going to have a mind of their own, well, then I was just going to have to work with it. So I turned the Kisses into frosting! I just took out a little spatula and started spreading out the Kisses while they were still warm and gooey. The goo easily covered the surface of each cookie, and after a while the Kiss "frosting" hardened up enough that the cookies could be stacked on top of one another. Despite their shiny appearance, the finished cookies I photographed are completely dry.

As for the taste? Well, if I do say so myself, I came up with a pretty inspired pairing! The warm spices in the cookies were just a great foil for all the sweetness of the Kisses. Plus, the pumpkin and apple flavors of the candy were a perfect match for the cinnamon, and the cloves, and the allspice, and even the pepper! The cookies were fabulous on their own, as well. Just spicy enough to be interesting without being distracting. Plus, they're from Cooking Light! Bonus.

Spicy Oatmeal Crisps (with Hershey's Kisses "Frosting")
adapted from Cooking Light
makes 24-30 cookies


Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. grated whole nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (optional, but it makes such a difference)
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (the original recipe called for 5 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup regular oats (I used quick oats)
24-30 Hershey's Kisses, any flavor (Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple work very well)


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through pepper) in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in flour mixture and oats.

3. Drop by level tablespoons two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until crisp (they will spread out a lot). Cool on pan 2-3 minutes, or until firm. Remove cookies from pan to a wire rack.

4. While the cookies are still warm, place two Hershey's Kisses on top of each. Allow them to melt and soften for about 5 minutes, then spread the Kisses all over the surface of the cookie. Allow cookies to cool completely, and for the Kisses to dry and harden. Store cookies at room temperature.

My Everyday Granola Bars

Well, I have finally found it. Yes, here it is. It's the granola bar recipe that could easily be the only granola bar recipe I'll ever use again. Now, this is a very bold statement, coming from me. I love to try out different variations of just about everything, from chocolate chip cookies, to brownies, to frosting. It's hard for me to imagine settling on just one version of any of those. However, this granola bar recipe has made me a believer. Now, I know I can settle for just one of something, because I am in love with these bars. I don't see a reason to look any further!

I found this recipe on Recipezaar, as is the case with so many fantastic recipes I've found over the last few years. I have over 40 different granola bar recipes saved in my own breakfast bar file on that site, and I chose this one because it had dark chocolate in the title. What can I say? If it has chocolate, I'm there! Also, there was a minimal amount of fat, and the fat that is present is the good kind; healthy fats from the peanut butter and nuts, plus the dark chocolate (which of course, is the "healthier" chocolate!).

Oops, sorry for that shot of hubby's foot! This was one of the best shots of the bars, and I figured nobody would mind that the foot ended up in there too. Anyway, one of the greatest things about this recipe is how easily it all comes together. There is a long ingredient list, but everything is basically mixed up in a huge bowl, pressed into a 9x13 pan, and baked for just 20 minutes. Then, voila! You have an easy, on-the-go snack or meal bar that tastes great and actually fills you up! For my money, that can't be beat. So often, granola bar recipes taste good but leave you feeling hungry afterward. With these, I actually do feel as though I have eaten a meal, and that is just what I need. I eat these for lunch almost every day!

It's great how forgiving the recipe is, too. You can substitute ingredients in the recipe and the bars will still turn out wonderfully. You can use any type of nut; you can use any flavor chips in place of dark chocolate. You can use regular or reduced fat peanut butter. You can use any dried fruit in place of dried cranberries. The variations go on and on!

I've made these probably 5 or 6 times now in the last few months. I bake them up, cut them into 12 bars, wrap each in plastic wrap, and freeze them in a Ziploc bag. It's so easy to just grab one an hour or so before I want to eat it; it's thawed by the time I'm ready for it. Then you don't have to worry about them going bad, etc. They're always just as good as fresh! If you're looking for a homemade granola or breakfast bar recipe, I highly, highly recommend these! Although, you'll have to forgive me if you ever catch me posting yet another granola bar recipe someday. Even though this bar is IT, that doesn't mean I won't ever try another one again! Sometimes I'm funny like that.

The original recipe for Dark Chocolate Granola Bars can be found here.
Below is my favorite variation. Feel free to use whatever you want, though!

Dark Chocolate Granola Bars
adapted from Recipezaar
makes 12 bars

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar (or 2 Tbsp. Splenda Sugar Blend, which I currently use)
1/4 cup maple syrup (I have been using light corn syrup, just to use it up)
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. any kind peanut butter
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. fat-free evaporated milk (regular 2% milk is fine)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Mix well. Next, combine the following 4 ingredients (flour through allspice) in a separate bowl. Add this to the first 7 ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well to coat everything with the wet ingredients.
2. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. If using foil, spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Press the granola mixture into the pan, being careful to smooth out the top so that the granola is evenly placed. It is easier if you use the extra pieces of parchment or foil that hang over the edges to help press everything down. Simply fold the excess over the top of the mixture, press down firmly to spread it all out, then peel the parchment/foil back from the mixture. The mixture should now be even.
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes (20 is my magic number for this), then remove from oven and score surface immediately with shallow cuts. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then cut and separate into bars.

Honey Lime Oat Muffins

This is one recipe that I probably should have posted a long time ago. I've been making these muffins for about two years now; they were the first muffins Xander ever tried. He usually wouldn't eat muffins because they tended to have chunks of fruit (like blueberry or raspberry, etc.) in them, and he's totally weird about chunks being in his muffins. Okay, if we're being honest here, he gets that weird chunk trait from me. But I am getting better with it, really! Him, on the other hand...well, we're still working on it.

So these muffins are great because they do not contain chunkiness, unless you count the oats, which are softened before going into the batter. I love how healthy these are. I like to use some whole-wheat flour as well as all-purpose, to give it a sturdier texture. The oats are fantastic in the muffin, too, because they really add substance to something which sometimes isn't the most filling food in the world. I mean, I love muffins as much as the next baker, which can be a problem sometimes when one muffin can be a caloric nightmare. Let alone two in one sitting, or three, or...you get the point. But these muffins are delicious and nutritious. Win-win!

The best part of all, though, is how crowd-pleasing they are. As I said, these were the first muffins Xander would ever eat, and now Evan loves them, although he's more of a muffin connoisseur than Xander was at his age. He's not nearly as picky; if it's been baked from scratch, he'll pretty much eat it! Bless him. If food is love, then he's been showered with love by me lately.

The kids like them plain, and they are wonderful that way. You can really taste the honey, as well as the little flecks of lime zest that dot the whole muffin. The whole-wheat flour is present, but not overwhelmingly noticeable, and they are moist despite the lack of fat in the recipe. Using yogurt in muffins is genius; it really keeps them healthy, yet the texture is still that of a muffin. You know, instead of a rock or something.

What really takes them over the top, though, if you are so inclined, is the lime glaze. It is so simple; it's just a powdered sugar glaze with lime zest and lime juice. I dipped the tops of a couple while they were still warm, and just let the glaze harden before we ate them. It drips down the sides before it sets, and just gives it an extra citrus-y punch that is irresistible. Yum!

This method doesn't work so well if you are planning to make the muffins ahead of time, though. That's why, most of the time, I forgo it. Once the muffins have been pre-glazed, they begin to very slowly soak up the glaze. By the next day, the tops of the muffins are wet and shiny, and you can no longer distinctly taste the glaze. Not that this is not tasty, but it totally ruins the effect! So I recommend saving the glaze for special occasions, or company.

Honey Lime Oat Muffins

adapted from Recipezaar

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

For the Muffins:

1 cup plain yogurt (I used non-fat)

1 cup old-fashioned oats (not instant)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted (Smart Balance 50/50 Blend works fine, too)

2 tsp. lime zest (I zest 1 whole lime)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat or whole-wheat pastry flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. lime zest

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Combine oats, yogurt, honey, milk, butter, and lime zest in a large bowl. Mix well and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all the remaining muffin ingredients except for the egg whites, mixing well.

3. Stir egg whites into yogurt mixture, mixing well. Add flour mixture to yogurt mixture; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

4. Bake for 20-24 minutes (I actually bake for 22), until light golden-brown on top. Let muffins cool slightly, about 10 minutes, and then turn them out onto a cooling rack.

5. While the muffins are cooling for 10 minutes, prepare glaze: combine powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest with a whisk, until sugar is dissolved and all ingredients are well combined.

6. Dip muffin tops in glaze, and allow the glaze to harden slightly before serving.