Spring's bub

A very dear friend just recent had a new addition to her family. A beautiful baby boy named Elijah, “the Lord is my God”. Our friendship extends to when we were first thrown together on a mission trip to Myanmar by both our churches. And due to similar life interests and circumstances, we had grown closer over the last couple of years. It’s a comfort to me to know that I can always turn to her with all my troubles and woes and she would be there to listen and turn me to God’s path.

When I first heard that she was pregnant, I could not be happier. For I know her love and yearning for children of her own and the multitude of hurdles both her husband and her had climbed over just to hold a baby of their own in their arms. Having heard that she has already had this little one is making me really impatient for Nov 25 to come. I just want to rejoice with them and see for myself God’s little miracle.

Since I can’t physically be there now, let me dedicate this little favorite muffin recipe of mine to her little family. (I promise to bake you some when I get down there!) Both T and J just can’t get enough of this muffin which is full of wholegrain goodness and simply bursting with flavor. I was pleasantly surprised to sink my teeth into a soft and fluffy muffin which is unlike some other rolled oat muffins I baked not long ago. This is an extremely versatile recipe to have at hand to play around with the ingredients and to help use up stuff in your pantry.

One most important step to baking a perfect cranberry muffin is to always plump the dried cranberries up in hot water with some lemon zest for 20 mins before using. This helps to restore moisture and adds more texture to the end product. Since I making this on behalf of my friend’s little one, I shall name this recipe after him. =)

Elijah’s Cranberry Bite

1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 tbsp golden syrup (can also be substituted with honey or maple syrup)
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 over ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 egg
3/4 cup rolled oats (ground in food processor)
1 cup wholegrain flour (can be substituted with unbleached plain flour if unavailable)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dried cranberries, plumped in hot water and 1 tbsp lemon zest

Mix the brown sugar, golden syrup, yogurt, vanilla extract, banana, butter, egg and rolled oats in a bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients along with the cranberries until just mixed.
Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin pan. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 20 minutes.