This recipe has been a standard in our house for years. You make up the batter and put it in the refrigerator overnight, adding fruit (or veggies) the next day before baking. It has no refined sugar and no added fat. The muffins won’t be super sweet, but rather hearty and substantial. The fun part is adding fruits and veggies and seeing how the muffins turn out. You can make one muffin at a time or about 2 dozen from the whole recipe. (Be sure to half-fill empty muffin cups with water, so you don’t warp your pan). I usually make a recipe and use half at a time. The batter will keep for a week in the fridge, but it’s best in the first three days. The muffins freeze well after baking and cooling. (Pictured with rhubarb-honey mint jam).

Whole wheat refrigerator muffins (basic recipe)

2 c milk, warmed slightly (around 100 degrees, if you want to measure)
2 tbsp distilled vinegar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c honey
1/2 c apple butter or applesauce
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c wheat bran
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Pour warm (not hot) milk into a medium bowl, stir in vinegar; let sit a few minutes while you get out your ingredients. Milk will curdle and thicken a little. Stir in honey and mix until dissolved. Mix in eggs and apple butter (or applesauce).

Combine flour, bran, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Pour liquid ingredients in and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Rhubarb muffins:

Chop 1 1/2 c raw rhubarb in small pieces. Mix chopped rhubarb, 1 cup raisins, and half the prepared batter in a medium bowl. Batter will be thick. Spoon batter into greased or sprayed muffin tins and bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then they should pop out with a little help.

Veggie muffins:

Leave out the apple butter. Grate any summer squash or carrots into the batter, 1 1/2 to 2 cups for half a recipe. Bake as directed. These are more savory muffins to serve with a soup or salad. (You can put chopped peppers in them too–start out with a small quantity first, then increase it if you want).

Banana nut muffins:

Smash a large banana (about 1 cup total) into half a recipe of batter, add 1/3 c chopped walnuts (our favorite) or any nuts you have.

Are you getting the idea? Cut up apples, dates, any dried fruit, try raspberries, blueberries, whatever you want. Keep in mind the sweetness of what you’re putting in. I added raisins to the rhubarb to balance the tart and the sweet. Bananas are plenty sweet by themselves. I may try bananas and blueberries next time; wonder how that would taste. See what I mean? Play with the recipe; experiment. And let me know what you come up with–I’d love to hear!