Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins {no yeast!}

When I saw this recipe back in May, I couldn't wait to try it, but I'm just now getting around to it. They were so delicious. So good in fact, that my kids thought they were "real" muffins (as in ones we eat for breakfast) and even asked to have them for dessert and breakfast. How awesome! These don't require any yeast, so score one for those of you who are afraid of yeast! The only "hard" part is having to beat the egg whites and fold them it, and that isn't really hard at all. You must make these. I bet they would freeze well and then you can pop them out whenever you need them! So good!

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins

slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Makes 15-16 muffins

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (I use whole white wheat flour.)

4 tablespoons yellow cornmeal (I used white.)

6 tablespoons firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons butter, melted *

3 tablespoons olive oil*

2 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

*You could use all melted butter or all olive oil.

Diretions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease 16 standard muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, olive oil, buttermilk, and sour cream until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Don’t overmix, the batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended, again, taking care not to overmix because that will result in tough, dry muffins.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly level with the rim of the cup. Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from pan and serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or jam, if desired.