My friend, Liz, brought over this delicious sweet bread (what a great neighbor!) and she asked how it could be made healthier. I'll give you the “before” and “after” version of the ingredients next to eachother and show you how simply this can be done. I turned them into cranberry white chocolate chip muffins. 🙂
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins
Here's the original recipe and the changes I've adapted to make it better.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour > lately I love using Einkorn flour.
- 3/4 cup white sugar > organic palm sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt > Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder > I use this kind with no aluminum
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda > I use this kind
- 1 cup chopped dried cranberries > organic isn't hard to find
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips > I added just a few extra, shhh
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest > I used 3 small organic oranges, then squeezed them for the juice (needed below)
- 1 egg > best are eggs from pastured chickens
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil > this is an important change: 2 T. softened butter, best if it's pastured butter
- 3/4 cup orange juice > fresh squeezed, from 3 small organic oranges
Instructions
- For bread: preheat oven to 350*. Grease (with a cold stick of butter) one 9 x 5″ loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the cranberries and white chocolate chips, stir to coat with flour. Combine the egg, oil, orange juice and grated orange peel. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let bread sit for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.
- I made 12 muffins instead of a loaf of bread. 350* 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. (Don't forget to check out my kitchen tip on how to make extra and freeze some to bake later.)
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Perfect! The recipe made 14 in my muffin tins. I ate 2 right out of oven, then had to force myself to wrap & freeze them. My sweet husband was delighted with surprise, hot muffins for Christmas breakfast before church. They are definitely a treat! Thanks Kelly. T
YAY! I found some white chocolate without trans fat!! It’s a Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bar. I’ll either food-process it a little to chop it up, or just break it up with a knife to use in recipes. 🙂
Beth,
Thanks for the info on oranges!
Sue,
I don’t know how they got into my house (a serious Kitchen Kop meltdown!), but you’re RIGHT – I looked and those white chocolate chips DO have trans fats!!!!! Does anyone have info on whether or not you can find organic white chocolate chips, or at least some without trans fats…anyone?!!
You really have good luck with muffins made with ALL whole wheat flour?? No offense, but I’ll have to try some to believe it!
Oh, and yes those are organic dried cranberries that I use.
Kelly
Regarding the oranges, I would get at least one organic for the zesting. We buy regular oranges because of what you mentioned (I try to get some from our state, at least) but I’ve read recently that because of how orange juice is made you should get organic orange juice – which I haven’t found yet so when one of the kids wants OJ they just squeeze an orange :).
[I just dug around and there’s a section on orange juice here:
https://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html
Beth
In my experience with white chocolate chips, they all have Partially Hydrogenated something or other. Have you found an alternative? Also, where do you find organic cranberries (I assume these aren’t dried)? Lastly, is it necessary to use organic oranges? I have read several “need to buy organic fruits and vegetable” lists and citrus is never on them….anyway, can’t wait to try these muffins (I seem to have good luck with all whole wheat—-I use whole wheat white for part of it.)
Thanks Kelly – I’ll have to give it a try. Since we last talked about this I’ve been busy experimenting more and more. My banana bread has had the biggest transformation with whole wheat flour, cane sugar, coconut oil and flaxseeds AND it tastes awesome!