emergency muffins

On my morning walk I was struck with the urge and inspiration to bake, partly because we're experiencing a temporary break in the insanely hot and humid weather and partly because I have a good friend coming over this afternoon whom I'd like to offer some sort of nibble. Carrots left over from last week's soba noodle salad were calling to me, so I thought I'd try my hand at carrot muffins, using my favorite banana bread recipe as a template and screwing around with different parts of it.

As I brainstormed and worked, I realized that this recipe lends itself to all sorts of additions and subsititutions--different grains, fruits, veggies and spices could all work well--which, if you ask me, makes it perfect for throwing together at the last minute for houseguests, a pot luck, anything. Regardless of what you do or do not have in your pantry, there's probably some combination you could use with this recipe and still have something yummy in almost no time.

ALSO. The original recipe contains butter and eggs, but it still comes out great with vegan substitutions. So no matter who shows up on your doorstep (or their dietary preferences), you're golden with this one!

Carrot date oat muffins
Adapted from this recipe on the back of the King Arthur Flour package
Time: 15 min prep and 20-25 min baking
Yield: 12 muffins

1/2 c. mashed ripe banana (vegan) or butter (not)
1/2 c. brown sugar, light or dark
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. shredded, grated or finely chopped carrot
1/4 c. maple syrup (vegan) or honey (not), or to taste (the dates added their own sweetness to the mix, so in the future I will use less sweetener)
1 c. unsweetened applesauce (vegan) or 2 large eggs (not)
2 c. 100% whole wheat flour
1/3 c. rolled oats
3 dates, pitted and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease pan with canola oil (vegan) or butter (not).

2. In a large bowl, beat together banana/butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add carrot, maple syrup/honey, and applesauce/eggs, beating until smooth. Add flour to wet mixture, stirring until smooth.

3. In a small bowl, combine oats and dates. Toss briefly to dust dates with oats, breaking up any clumps of dates. Add to batter, and stir well until incorporated.

4. Scoop batter into prepared pan (about 1/4 c. batter per muffin cup). Bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Some possible interesting additions/substitutions (should total 1/4 to 3/4 cup):
-shredded or flaked coconut
-chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or other nuts
-sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds
-cooked rice, wheatberries, barley or other grains
-cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice
-chocolate chips (if making vegan, use dairy-free chocolate)
-wheat germ, wheat bran, oat bran, spelt flakes
-raisins, dried apricots, prunes, dried blueberries or other dried fruits
-orange or lemon zest