Healthy Oat & Fruit Muffins, aka Super Human Muffins

I bought prunes at the store.

You bought what?!

I did. I bought prunes at the store. And I took them home.

I mean, sheesh. Once I saw that prunes were really just dried plums, I thought, I eat every other fruit dried, and plums are yummy, what's wrong with dried plums? Plus they are supposedly very good for you and all that. And I like things that are supposedly very good for me. 

I took a bite of said prune and did not quite know what to think. The verdict was still out on these prunes when I received the loveliest gift in the mail: it was a brand spanking new, shiny cobalt blue Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love all over again, and then I washed the thing off and immediately took it for a test run.

I wanted to make muffins. But not just any muffin -- a very healthy, wonderfully good for me muffin that I could grab as I run out the door for school in the morning, but that would make me feel strong and super-charged. Every little ingredient in this muffin would be working very hard to do its healthy work. There would be no slackers in this muffin. My morning can't afford slackers.

 

I wanted high fiber. Less sugar and fat. A nice dose of fruit. And maybe some heart-healthy antioxidants while I'm at it. Done, done, done, and done.

The prunes came back out of their box in the fridge. The bag of whole wheat flour opened. A juicy apple was grated. The flaxseed came out. Oats were poured. Applesauce was substituted for oil. Sugar was reduced to half. Maybe I should call these muffins super human muffins. I think I will. You will, too, once you taste their dense, chewy, hearty goodness for yourself. Maybe you'll even want to throw a handful of chopped walnuts in there or an extra dash of cinnamon. Go wild. It's your muffin. It's your day.

And as for the prunes, well, those little babies got all diced up until they were just squishy little nuggets of power-fruit, then baked into every bite. And what do you know, they're yummy! If prunes aren't your thing (or you simply don't have them around because you haven't been pregnant lately... which,  for that matter, neither have I), chop up some raisins or figs. It's all part of one happy nutritionally-charged family. 

Oh, and have a wonderful superhuman morning!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup white wheat flour (Trader Joe's makes a nice brand)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. apple pie spice
1/2 t. cinnamon
3 T. flaxseed
pinch nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup applesauce
1 small apple, grated (about 1 cup packed)
1 t. vanilla extract
8-10 prunes, finely chopped
1 t. molasses

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 and grease a muffin pan. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in all at once. Stir until just moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each about 2/3 full .Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove from cups and serve warm.