Cream and Cereal Muffins #Muffin Monday

Got leftover cream? Got leftover cereal? This is milk and cereal with an edge. Save money and eat well by shopping your pantry first and combining your leftovers in a sweet-yet-wholesome breakfast snack.

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The idea behind these muffins is to make a warm breakfast bread out of something you've got on hand after the holidays. After countless pre-Thanksgiving trips to the grocery store [where every year without fail I overhear some confused man on the phone asking his spouse about the difference between heavy cream and whipping cream--while his harried spouse is probably thinking 'I should have just gone but these pies won't bake themselves'] the last thing I feel like doing is yet another run. One way to Reduce Food Waste (link to my recent post about reducing food waste) is to shop your fridge and pantry first. That's how these muffins were born.

I buy a lot of cereal with the best of intentions. After a few bowls I get bored and want to move on to a new breakfast or snack food, like Meghan's granola, leaving me with partial boxes of cereal. Last year a wise friend bought ½ gallon of wonderful Snowville Creamery cream and, after using the cup or so she needed, DID NOT LET IT LANGUISH IN HER FRIDGE. Instead, she directed it--to me! [I told you she was wise.] With a whole bunch of cream at my disposal I looked for a good muffin vehicle and decided on a Grape Nuts cereal muffin. I suspect any similar crunchy whole grain lightly sweet cereal would do just fine. I'm glad to share this muffin with the #MuffinMonday crew!

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.
Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

Here's what's baking this month with the #MuffinMonday crew!

• Apple Cinnamon Roll Muffins from Making Miracles
• Bursting Raspberry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cinnamon Vanilla Muffins from Kelli's Kitchen
• Corn Dog Mini Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cream and Cereal Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Mince Pie Muffins from Food Lust People Love

Cream and Cereal Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup cereal--I used Grape Nuts, something small and not terribly sweet would substitute
• ½ cup (4 ounces) cream (heavy, whipping, same same)
• ½ cup milk (I use 2%)
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
• options: ½ cup chopped dates mixed in, or Caramel Pumpkin Butter dolloped on top

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together cereal, cream and milk. Set aside for 20 minutes or so to soften.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 12 well muffin pan with oil spray, or line with paper cups.
3. Add sugar, vanilla and egg to the cereal & cream mixture and blend thoroughly.
4. Dump the dry ingredients on top, and stir until just moistened. If you'd like to add dates, stir them in now.
5. Scoop** batter into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes until top is lightly browned.
6. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
7. Serve warm, and top with a bit of Easy Spiced Caramel Pumpkin Butter if you like.

**My scoop holds 3 Tablespoons (1½ ounces) by volume, though the muffin batter is mounded in the scoop so I'm pretty sure I'm putting a good 3 ½ Tablespoons into each muffin well.  The muffin wells in my regular muffin pans each hold 3 ounces by volume.