multigrain berry muffins

What does it say about me that the first thing I want to do in celebration of wonderful news is to bake something? I got a call recently that was a long time in coming with a job offer that I accepted almost on the spot. As soon as I had hung up the phone, screamed and hugged the hubs, my mixed emotions of relief, tremendous excitement and crazy nerves manifested themselves in these muffins. Maybe I should call them nervous energy muffins instead.

I took a standard muffin recipe and substituted, added and changed until they became these multigrain berry muffins, and then proceeded to eat three of them when they were hot out of the oven. You could, of course, put your own twist on these muffins. Or try it as a loaf: pour the same batter into a buttered loaf pan and bake 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned and a knife comes out clean. Delicious.

multigrain berry muffins
makes one dozen
{inspired by America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook}

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
2 large eggs
1 cup mixed berries, frozen or fresh (if fresh, it's helpful to toss berries in a bit of flour to keep them from gooping up the batter)
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.

2. Mix the first nine ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the yogurt, milk and eggs together in a small bowl. Gently fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in berries and melted butter. Do not overmix.

3. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or store in an airtight container up to 3 days.