New Orleans Black Muffins

Leftover molasses from the holiday gingerbread baking?  I know what you're going to do with it.  You're going to make these.  And I have a few good reasons: they're easy;  if you've got molasses, you probably have everything else you need; they're actually healthy, made with whole wheat flour and with almost no added fat.  You heard right, and they didn't even come from a diet cookbook, just the opposite in fact.  They come from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, not a book known for its focus on reduced anything.  And that is how you know they're going to be good.  That, and the fact that I just told you.

Did I mention they're a snap? Two bowls, one spoon, recipes like this are "wooden-spoon recipes" since that's about all the equipment required.  Pure, perfect simplicity.  

New Orleans Black Muffins

3/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup milk (any kind you'd like, even skim)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, dry roasted.

Oven preheated to 300

Spread the pecans out on a cookie sheet and place them in the over until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the hot water and the molasses until the molasses dissolve, then stir in the milk.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Fold the liquid mixture and the pecans into the dry mixture with a rubber spatula.  The batter will be spongy, so don't overmix. 

Spoon the batter into 12 greased muffin cups and bake for :45 - 1 hour (mine took exactly :45).  Remove the muffins from the cups right away and serve warm, although they are delicious the next day as well.