Quinoa Muffins with Apple and Coffee Spiced Pecans

In a previous post I wrote about me not being a good baker. I’m still working on that. There is still much to learn and a long way for me to go before I can call myself a baker. Unfortunately I don’t get as much practice as I should. The main reason is that I prefer to eat savory over sweet foods. So rare is the day I bake a cake, cupcakes, sweet bread or muffins.

This past weekend the craving for sweet muffins really hit me. I remembered seeing a recipe for muffins that I really wanted to try. The recipe was for Apple-Pecan Quinoa Muffins by Jean of Lemons and Anchovies. What I loved so much about her recipe was that she used quinoa ­- a grain I love in savory recipes but had yet to bake with.

Additionally Jeans recipe uses whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. This of course makes the muffins more nutritional. The muffins are made a little more healthier because the use of quinoa. Quinoa has a high protein content, it is a good source of fiber, magnesium and iron. It is also gluten-free. Let’s not forget to mention who great it tastes.

Since I am trying to be a better baker I stuck to Jean’s recipe. My baking troubles seem to happen when I start experimenting or ignoring recipes. The only thing I changed from her recipe was that I used whole-fat, 3.5%, milk and she used non-fat. Additionally she used standard pecans. I substituted those with coffee spiced pecans from Amelia’s Spicing Pecans. That’s it -the rest I left exactly as her recipe states.

These muffins were delicious! I thought they might be a bit dense because of the quinoa, but in fact they were light and fluffy. I really loved how all the flavors came together so perfectly. When they came out of the oven I couldn’t wait to dig in. On my first taste I ate two…or was it three. The next day I ate two with a big cup of café au lait for breakfast. So naughty but no guilt followed.

Okay enough of my rambling go get the recipe for Jean’s Apple-Pecan Quinoa Muffins at Lemons and Anchovies, http://lemonsandanchovies.com/2012/08/apple-pecan-quinoa-muffins/#.UHimohydOd5 Thanks for sharing Jean!

P.S.
If you’d like to order some Amelia’s Spicing Pecans you can do so through their Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpicingPecans