aka “Sweet Machine Malfunctions”
A year ago, my friend and I stood glaring at the SPR machine. (Surface Plasmon Resonance, in case you were wondering.) In theory, we could twiddle a few knobs and punch a few buttons to calibrate the monster. In actuality, it hiccuped and laughed in our faces.
So we ignored it to talk about food.
My friend, an avid crêpe-maker, challenged me to come up with desserts based on savory dinner dishes. He named spaghetti, pizza, and—gulp—onions.
I hated onions. They left a permanent B.O. taste in my mouth for hours after eating just one tiny sliver. I avoided them at all costs, on pain of (taste bud) death.
Until I discovered caramelization. If I neglected the stinkers for long enough in the pan, they turned soft and golden brown and… Sweet! Almost sweet enough for dessert.
So thanks to the SPR (and my crêpe-flipping friend), I give you the next sweet and sneaky way to eat your veggies: caramelized onion breakfast muffins!
modified from CL’s Whole Wheat Apricot Muffins
These muffins are so moist! The onions do give the muffins a slightly savory flavor, so if you prefer sweeter muffins, try 1½ cups of shredded carrots or zucchini instead.
- Coat a large pan with nonstick cooking spray, and cook the onions over high heat, stirring constantly, for 4-6 min or until translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook the onions for 15-20 min, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°, and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour and next 6 ingredients (through nutmeg). In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (butter through egg). Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the caramelized onions.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, and bake at 375° for 15-18 min or until the tops begin to turn golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Other Sweet and Sneaky Veggie Treats:
I did the same thing with spinach and the results paid off the effort 🙂
I was actually thinking of making a second batch of these with spinach or broccoli! I’ll have to try spinach first, if your muffins turned out so well.
Reblogged this on Shop Easy and commented:
Wow! Such a great idea. I personally do not like onions at all! Can’t wait to try this.
If you don’t like onions, you could try carrots, zucchini, or spinach instead. While caramelized onions are sweet, they still gave the muffins an onion flavor. Hope you enjoy them!
Carmelized onions are the best! When I was living in Brazil, my host mom had onions like that for a salad topper every day. I ate so much of them!! I haven’t tried making them myself, though – I really should! This recipe looks great!
Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing! I eat them like candy, so your host mom would need to buy 2 onions just for me every day… Sad but true.
Caramelizing them is super easy! Just remember to start out at a high temperature for a short period before lowering the heat to almost non-existant. They take a long time and need quite a bit of baby-sitting, but it’s almost soothing — and so worth it!
wow–you make some fun dishes:-)
Thanks! I’ve really been enjoying playing with flavors and experimenting in the kitchen. I can’t wait to share the next two veggie dishes too!
I loveeee onions. The onion wrapped around that muffin and baked into the sides looks amazing!
Thanks!! It took me such a long time to realize that onions were sweet… I hated them raw on burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Not a good aftertaste!
I don’t like eat fresh onions. Reasons are the same as yours – strong taste in my mouth and the breath. But caramelized is fine. I have to try these recipe, looks great!
It took my dad forever to convince me to try grilled and caramelized onions… But now I’ll eat them almost like candy! These muffins would also taste great with cream cheese to mask any possible leftover onion taste. I hope you enjoy them!
That’s good as I tried them for a first time by mistake 🙂 I know couple of recipes that are way better with it, so I don’t need something to ‘mast’ its taste. I am sure I’ll like them 😉
I certainly hope so! I’m excited to hear what you think.
Brain exploding! This is so different and weird but it sounds amazing! I love caramelized onions… Will NOT eat them raw either, though!
Thanks! I had so much fun coming up with creative ways to put veggies into sweet baked goods. I think this was probably the craziest I got… At least thus far!
You are so innovative!
Thanks! I really liked coming up with creative ways to use veggies. It was hard to limit myself to just 4 baked treats… So I may do another mini series again in the future!
was it the first time ever you cooked this? looks really nice, i should try making these.
i could never be so creative with baking.
Yes, it was my first attempt! It takes a little time to start thinking a little differently, but it’s really fun. Start by thinking about your favorite flavor combinations, and see if you could add a twist to it! It won’t take long before you become much more creative than me. :]
For example, last year I bought pretzels and knew I enjoyed them both dipped in mustard or coated in chocolate. But I also wanted to do something with the pretzels instead of just eating them plain, so I made my pretzel pancakes with two different sauces! (The recipe is here, if you’d like to check it out! http://wp.me/p18CG9-p3)
What a delicious looking bake you have there! I’m loving this post!
Thank you! I was really happy with the muffins; I didn’t expect the onions to make them so moist!