Short & Sweet

I’m poking my head from my writing cave. It’s five in the morning here in California as I write this, and I’ve been toiling away for weeks on the final, copyedited draft of my manuscript. The bad news is I won’t be celebrating Christmas this year with my darling hubby; he’s not joining me until the week after Christmas. Also, I have to work through the holidays to make my deadline—boo hoo. The good news is I have a new book coming out in 2024. I’m so excited and can’t wait to share ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW with you!

It’s been an odyssey in itself getting from my last release to this one, which is a story for another time. I’m making this blog post short and sweet because duty calls, but I will have more news for you soon and goodies in the form of a cover reveal and a sample chapter, the latter available only to subscribers of my mailing list.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the recipe below, which is one of my absolute favorites.

May your holidays be bright and merry. Wishing you many blessings—and books, including mine!—in the new year!

APPLE OAT BRAN MUFFINS

These muffins have been a staple of our family breakfasts for years. They’re as delicious as they are healthy, made with maple syrup and apples. Warm from the oven with butter, there’s nothing quite like them.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin tin.

½ cup maple syrup (use real and not artificial if possible)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup oat bran
1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¾ cup finely chopped apple
½ cup raisins (optional)

In a small bowl, beat the maple syrup and melted butter together with a whisk. Add the vanilla and eggs, and mix well. In a medium bowl, combine the oat bran, flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add the maple-butter mixture to the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk, beating after each addition just until mixed.

Do not over mix. Fold in the apples (and raisins if using). Fill each cup of the muffin tin approximately three quarters full (you might need more than one tin). Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing.