These muffins are low in sugar and high in taste. The muffins aren't "no sugar," though, so keep that in mind if you're diabetic. The recipe for these muffins dates back to the World War II era when sugar was rationed. I've changed the recipe a bit to account for modern tastes and supplies, but the key ingredient--fruit preserves--remains. During the war era, homemade preserves usually were available when white sugar wasn't. That was because the sugar used to make the preserves wasn't rationed in the same way that "castor" sugar was. Housewives then used the preserves to sweeten their muffins. In the recipe I'm offering you today, I use apricot-peach preserves, but you could certainly use whatever flavor you like and have on hand. Also, if you're diabetic, you can use "no sugar added" fruit preserves, if you'd prefer. The muffins are soft, gently spiced, and have extra nutrition and texture from the addition of oats to the batter. The recipe makes six to ten muffins, depending on the size of your pans. I bake the batter in a scone pan--a round pan with triangular indentations--which gives me eight large, wedge-shaped muffins. Whatever pan you choose to use, you'll end up with a small batch of great-tasting muffins. Enjoy!
Small Batch Apricot-Peach Preserves Muffins -- Makes 6-10
1 egg
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of buttermilk (or use 1/4 cup of plain yogurt and enough milk to equal 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup of apricot-peach or other preserves (you can use "no sugar added")
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (omit if you're diabetic)
1/2 cup of quick oats
1 cup of flour, preferably white whole-wheat
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar, optional (omit if you're diabetic)
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spritz a scone pan or dish with non-stick cooking spray (or use a traditional muffin pan or pans). In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, buttermilk, preserves, and brown sugar until they are thoroughly combined. Stir in the the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon just until combined. Divide the batter among the eight wells of the scone pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the sugar, if you're using it, and then the almonds. Bake the muffins for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and a pick inserted in a muffin comes out with no wet batter attached. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them to cool completely.
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