Pecan Muffins

I had a little pecan meal left.  Oh, about a cup.  I wanted to use it up and didn't want major sweets laying around like macarons (which I would devour gleefully).  Since I am always looking for easy breakfast ideas because it is so much easier to have something quick in the morning, I decided on muffins.  

What's nice about these is that it nicely hid the nuts that my daughter usually picks out of her muffins.   The muffins simultaneously delivered a bit of healthy protein (and carbs of course) to my children's little bodies and brains.  Thereby helping them focus on their studies, rather than on their bellies. Yes, this was a  couple months ago when school was in session.

It's really not hard to make up your own recipes.  It takes a bit of knowledge and experience but it is fairly easy.  You can always use other recipes as your guide.  As long as you get the main bones of a recipe in there, you will have success. 

Add a bit of peach jam to these babies and pump up the yum factor.

Perfect Power Pecan Muffins

3/4 cup  sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup pecan meal

Mix all the dry ingredients except for the sugar and set aside. Combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar.  Add in the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Do not over mix.  Pour into muffin cups. Makes 15 muffins.  I use a 12 muffin cup pan and a few small ramekins to do the job.  Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes.  You want the tops to spring back when you touch them.  Cool in pan for about five minutes then remove and place on a cooling rack.