A Very Merry Christmas !!!

'tis that time of the year again...the wind blowing outside is definitely chilly...
even if the sun shines, it seems quite reluctant to stay on...
The trees (most of them anyway) are bare and the grass is no longer green..
On the other hand...'tis also the season to be jolly !
cause bells are jingling round the corner and taste buds are tingling everywhere ..
I have been reading all these amazing food blogs for quite some time and have also been meaning to jump onto the bandwagon..but with a 5 month old baby and a new house, just couldn't get a hold of it..
Recently I read about Nandita's WBB Christmas special and decided that I would definitely send in an entry...
So without a preamble (there is no story behind this recipe...this was solely attempted for the WBB event),
let me show you what was being whipped up in my kitchen for Christmas morning breakfast...

I got this recipe off the allrecipes.com site

I made some changes to the recipe
Used a replacer for the required egg in it...
I don't cook/bake with eggs at home though I don't mind eating purchased baked products with eggs in it
(a strange quirk that I possess :-) )..
Increased the amount of applesauce and decreased the oil..
Decreased the baking soda and also added a little baking powder..
Added nutmeg to increase the flavour..
Also, I substituted walnuts for pecans because thats what I had in my pantry...

INGREDIENTS

* 1 + 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* Egg replacer for one egg (I used Ener-G)
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
* 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a muffin pan, or use paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix together applesauce, oil and egg replacer. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon , nutmeg and salt.
3.Make a well in the center, and pour in applesauce mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fold in the cranberries and the nuts.
Spoon into muffin cups, 2/3 full.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 2 minutes before removing.




Results :

I was quite pleased with the end results... The muffins were definitely edible (so pronounced my taster, my husband !! )
They were moist, not at all dense ...not too crumbly either...They rose very well..
The only changes that I would probably make in the future would be to add more flavourings...maybe some lemon or orange zest..
Ideas and suggestions are most welcome !!!

Well..in Paula Deen's words, sweet cranberry muffins from my kitchen to yours...hope you make these muffins and let me know the results !