Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

Even before June arrived, I knew I wanted to make a foodie gift for Father’s Day.  I did the same for Mother’s Day and it was very well received! 

So I got to thinking about foods that my dad enjoys.  The first couple of items that came to mind were obvious steak, bacon, or anything meat related.  Since I couldn’t very well mail him a steak, I continued to rack my brain for other ideas when it dawned on me.  Some of his favorite foods involve cinnamon; cinnamon ice cream and brown sugar cinnamon Pop-tarts to name a couple.  I scoured the internet for cinnamon based recipes and ultimately decided to customize my own cinnamon raisin muffins.

One key component to adapting a baked good recipe is keeping the correct ratio of wet to dry ingredients.  If you have too much of the former, your muffin will end up soggy or under cooked but with too much of the latter, you’ll have a dry, hard rock-like muffin.  I didn’t want to send my dad rocks for father’s day.  Nobody likes a repeat gift.

Not only is the correct ratio important, but so is the quality of the ingredients.  This recipe was the perfect opportunity for me to use a new-to-me brand of coconut oil.  Tropical Traditions was nice enough to send me 32 ounces of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to sample. 

source

I have cooked and baked with coconut oil in the past and I continue to do so because I love the hint of coconut flavor it adds.  A small amount goes a long way and keeps me satiated for hours.  What I like about Tropical Traditions, is that their virgin coconut oil is unrefined and is made from fresh, organic coconuts.  To find out more about their coconut oil, check out their website.  Many thanks to Tropical Traditions for the sample!*

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
(adapted from Cooks.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (4 oz)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2 oz)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (2 oz)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp applesauce
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, applesauce, oil, and egg until combined.
4. Add raisins to flour mixture and make sure to coat all the raisins lightly with flour.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir just until combined.
6. Lightly oil a 12 muffin pan or use paper liners.  Pour the batter evenly among the 12 cups.
7. Bake at 400 for about 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Allow for some cooling time and enjoy!

Do you like to make foodie gifts for holidays?  If so, what was the last gift you made?

*Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.