Egg-less Apple-Cranberry-Almond Muffins

I've mentioned before that I do not enjoy baking. It's too rigid, and I can't play with as many ingredients as I prefer. But, as with the Cookies for the Dark Side, sometimes I want a freshly baked item. Typically, I turn to the oldest offspring for that task, but this morning I wanted to do something for the girls.

My immediate thought was fresh muffins for breakfast....and since I had a Golden Delicious apple that had been sitting in my fruit bowl for some time now, that was the logical choice. The plan was coming together. I happily measured and mixed away (making substitutes that I knew would work in the world of baking). Then I opened the fridge to grab the one lonely egg needed for the recipe.

Frak. No eggs. No egg substitute. Not even an empty carton to taunt me.

A tumbleweed blew through my kitchen.

My mind raced. After all, I had already ground the oats, measured the dry goods, and grated the apple. I reasoned that apples have pectin, and that is some sort of stabilizer, so in theory that would help. I needed something else, however, and I didn't think cornstarch would do the trick (the batter was too dry). I looked at my little cartons of yogurt and made a snap decision. Lemon seemed the least offensive flavor, so I measured a quarter cup into the batter and mixed. Things were still too dry for my taste, so I added another quarter cup. The batter at least looked like muffin batter at this point, so I decided this was do or die time: I spooned the batter into the muffin pan and placed it into the oven....and the Almighty Baking God's hands.

For whatever reason--my intuition, the alignment of the planets, or just plain old luck--these muffins turned out delicious. They are a denser sort of muffin, yet not so heavy that you can't enjoy two or three at a time. The lemon yogurt seems to have enhanced the apple flavor very nicely. All in all, I'd say it's not a bad effort for a non-baker such as I.

Egg-less Apple-Cranberry-Almond Muffins

Ingredients:

1 c unbleached white flour

1 c oat flour

1/4 c white sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 c canola oil

1/2 c lemon flavored yogurt

1 c grated apple

1/4 c dried cranberries, chopped

1/4 c almonds, ground

additional slivered almonds for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line the muffin pan with liners or grease. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Mix in the oil and yogurt until well-combined. Add the grated apple, cranberries, and ground almonds; mix well.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full and top with slivered almonds. Bake 20-25min until golden brown or till a tooth pick comes out clean from it. Makes 12 muffins.