On the drive from Atlanta down to Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving this year, my husband and I stopped for a night in the charming city of Covington, Louisiana. Just across the lake from New Orleans, this lovely city exudes Louisiana culture and charm. While in Covington, we were lucky enough to stay at the Blue Willow Bed & Breakfast on East Rutland Street (http://www.bluewillowbandb.com/). The room was elegant, the property beautiful and the continental breakfast prepared for us….delicious.
The charming Blue Willow B&B in Covington, Louisiana
The proprietor, Maureen Chambless, had prepared her Harvest Muffins for us to enjoy the morning of our stay. These deliciously hearty bran-like muffins were almost as unforgettable as the bed & breakfast itself. I was thrilled when Maureen recently shared her recipe for these tasty treats with me, so I wanted to share that recipe with you. With a raisin bran cereal base, these muffins are also best when studded with dried cranberries, a touch of ground flax, and chopped pecans. Thank you again for sharing your recipe with me Maureen! We hope to see you again soon at your lovely bed and breakfast.
(To view Maureen’s recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
‘Harvest Muffins’
Ingredients:
- I halved the recipe given to me by Maureen Chambless. This halved recipe makes 18 muffins.
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 ½ cups flour (I used whole wheat flour)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 7.5 oz. raisin bran cereal
- ½ cup nuts (optional)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/8 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 3 muffin tins with baking spray. Combine all of the ingredients listed above in a large mixing bowl. Stir together until the ingredients are all combined. Divide amongst the greased muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin. Allow to cool then remove the muffins from the tins. Enjoy!
Tagged: Bed & Breakfast, Blue Willow, breakfast, brunch, cinnamon, Covington, dried cranberries, ground cloves, ground flax, harvest muffins, Louisiana, muffins, nutmeg, pecans, raisin bran
Thanks for sharing–love muffins and the dark color of these. I always enjoy the Morning Glory Muffins at Coffee Call which arn’t as healthy as these.
Yes, these muffins are very tasty! I froze some of them to defrost after I run out of the batch we are munching on now. Maureen told me she sometimes uses just plain bran flakes instead of the raisin bran, and also substitutes coconut oil in as well. I like the dense, moist texture of the muffins overall.
I’m not familiar with the Morning Glory Muffins? Any idea what is in those?
Thank you, Anna, for sharing my muffin recipe with your readers. We hope to see you again at Blue Willow. I loved meeting you both. It is wonderful guest like you who make our bed & breakfast such fun! These muffins have been a family favorite for years.
We just loved our time in Covington, Maureen and staying with y’all made it that much more charming. Thank you for your hospitality…and of course,introducing us to these fabulous muffins! I love their moist yet dense texture and the addition if flax seed and cranberries is a wonderful idea. Happy 2014 to you and your family! Anna
It is probably a commercial mix they get in but we really like them and get them on special occasions. They are dark also and seem to have carrots and walnuts.
I love anything resembling carrot cake with the walnuts and carrots! Sounds yummy! 😀