Honeycrisp Wheat Germ Muffins

I thought I’d share a family recipe with all of you! “Easy Wheat Germ Muffins” is the official title, but I’ve made these into an apple cinnamon muffin. But what is wheat germ?

Wheat germ is the reproductive part of wheat that can produce a whole new plant. Because of that, wheat germ is a concentrated source of essential nutrients. Of course on the list of nutrients that it has, it does include gluten. So if you are gluten intolerant and needing to stay away from gluten, wheat germ would be something you’d need to stay away from.

If you are not allergic or gluten-intolerant, then I’d suggest looking up wheat germ. It’s an easy thing to add in for extra nutrients and basically replacing what is stripped away from wheat when it’s processed in a concentrated form.

There is more about wheat germ on my post on another family recipe, “Amelie’s Wheat Germ Pancakes”. And yes… apples are in those too.

Wheat germ has a nutty flavor to them and I guess I just always think of apples, but with this recipe, you can use berries, nuts, etc. or leave them plain. Up to you. For me, I’m not a huge sweet person, but I love baked goods. So this muffin is a delicious nutty flavored baked muffin that’s slightly sweet.

Oh! And I almost forgot – because I always do – if you buy wheat germ, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator after it’s open. Although it’s a flour, it needs to be stored in the fridge. I always forget this. I got a few cups from my mom who had just bought some. She put it in a zip lock bag and in big letters said, “STORE IN FRIDGE”. I still forgot. It contains unsaturated fats, which can become rancid. It has a shelf life of a year if it is stored properly. The way to tell, if you forget to store it in the fridge like me, is that fresh wheat germ has a slight nutty smell, similar to toasted nuts. Not sour.

You could bump up the sweetness with adding a streusel topping, but I don’t think these guys need it. So let’s get to the recipe, but first… don’t ya’ll love this melted butter shot I got?! I’m so proud!

WARNING: Your house will smell like baked cinnamon apple muffins and you will have to slap hands away from people trying to eat them before you can take a picture!

• Servings: 9 large muffins
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Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/3 cup milk (I use almond milk)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped honeycrisp apple
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with liners or grease with small amount of vegetable oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: all purpose flour, wheat germ, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg until well beaten. Add to the large bowl with dry ingredients.
4. Add in almond milk to large bowl. Mix all ingredients together.
5. Add in the apples and cinnamon, or any other add-ins, and fold into the mixture.
6. Fill in large muffin tin about 1/4 cup each.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes before devouring.

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Amelie’s Wheat Germ Pancakes

Pancakes are not a regular thing, more because of how our mornings go. Grab something and go. But when we do have a morning and we can cook a breakfast, this is one of the family recipes we make. This recipe that has been in my family for years from a family friend, Amelie. They are delicious, filling, and has a bit of a sweet nutty flavor because of the wheat germ in them. Yum! We’ve made them as smaller pancakes since they are heavier, so don’t be fooled by their size.

Wheat Germ

Wheat germ is the reproductive part of wheat that can produce a whole new plant. Because of that, wheat germ is a concentrated source of essential nutrients.

It’s a high source of:

• Vitamin E – healthy healthy skin cells
• Folate – needed to make DNA
• Phosphorus – works with calcium for healthy bones
• Thiamin – healthy nervous system, muscles, and intestines
• Zinc – healthy immune system
• Magnesium – healthy nervous system and muscles
• Essential Fatty Acids and Fatty Alcohols – anti-inflammatory, healthy brain function
• Fiber – weight management, healthy digestive system

It truly is the opposite of white processed bread. It consists of all the good things white bread is stripped of when being processed. Just make sure you store it correctly in the fridge or freezer out of sunlight to ensure freshness once the container or bag has been opened.

• Servings: 3 servings (2 pancakes per serving) Makes 6 3-inch pancakes
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Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp applesauce
• 1/2 cup old fashion oats
• 1 tbsp wheat germ (You can always bump up the nutritional content by adding another tablespoon)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 green apple
• Cinnamon
• Maple Syrup

EGG-FREE: If you want to make this recipe egg-free, use 1 tbsp chia or flax seeds with 1/4 cup water. Let it sit by itself for about 10-15 minutes so that it becomes gelatinous. Add it into the recipe like you would the egg.

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for the flour and apple. Poke the egg so that it can mix together.
2. Add in the flour. Don’t over mix.
3. Thinly slice the green apple. You can leave the skin on, but it will be harder to cut and eat after the pancakes are made.
4. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. If not using a non-stick skillet, add a small amount of oil to the bottom. Once the skillet is warm, turn down the heat to medium-low.
5. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup and pour batter into skillet. Top with the sliced apples. Once the batter is bubbling in the center you can flip the pancakes and cook for about another minute.
6. Remove from skillet and continue with the rest of the batter. In a large skillet you should be able to make 3-4 pancakes at a time.
7. When serving dust with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup.

Nutritional Information

Using an Egg, 1 Serving without Maple Syrup

301 calories | 5.5 g total fat | 1 g saturated fat | 64 mg cholesterol | 383 mg sodium | 51 g carbohydrates | 6.8 g fiber | 10.2 g sugar | 10.8 g protein

Using Chia “Egg”, 1 Serving without Maple Syrup

295 calories | 4.8 g total fat | 0.5 g saturated fat | 0 g cholesterol | 362 mg sodium | 53 g carbohydrates | 8.2 g fiber | 10.1 g sugar | 9.3 g protein

Macro Sources

70% Carbohydrates | 16% Fat | 14% Protein

Dietary Servings per Portion

• 0.3 Fruit
• 2.5 Grain
• 0.2 Meat Alternative
• 0.3 Milk Alternative