My toddler has a sweet tooth. I can’t blame him, because he comes by it honestly since both his father and I are lovers of most things made of sugar. His dad can eat 1/2 dozen cookies or donuts in one sitting and I hide my chocolate candy from him so that I don’t have to share. Seriously. I am not kidding, y’all. But the truth is, all things in moderation, right? We can enjoy anything we want to in proper portions once in a while.
That said, when you’ve got budding taste buds being developed and a toddler who will eat great one day and almost nothing the next, each bite is important. I work hard to come up with tasty offerings, sometimes just to be snubbed. That’s life. You just keep trying folks. If I toddler says “I don’t like ____!” You just smile and reintroduce it again later. And again later. Research has shown that it can take many introductions of the same foods before youngsters will even try it, much less accept or like it. So be patient.
Perfect little “cupcakes” for my little cupcake!
These muffins, however are not in the category of having to reintroduce a hundred times. My toddler wanted cupcake “sprinklers” (you may call them sprinkles) when we were at a craft store recently. I’m pretty indulgent of my little guy and a little sprinkles can go a long way toward making food fun and more likely to make it into the tummy. Sprinklers in hand we headed home and he promptly announced that we needed to make cake for said sprinklers. I didn’t want to make cake. Mostly because I didn’t want to eat cake! I made these instead. Slightly sweet blueberry corn muffins, with a ridiculous protein rich creamy frosting! Guess what the secret ingredient is…give up? COTTAGE CHEESE! When pureed, it becomes this smooth, creamy medium perfect for sweetening or even eating savory. In this case…we called them cupcakes, but you will know them as muffins. You can make the frosting less sweet if you like…and sprinkles are totally optional.
Blueberry Corn Muffins
- 2/3 cup stone ground cornmeal
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup blueberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tins with non-stick spray or line with cupcake liners. Mix dry ingredients together – cornmeal through baking soda – in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix remaining ingredients, except blueberries. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Fold in the blueberries. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.
Cottage Cheese Frosting
- 2/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
In a food processor or blender, puree cottage cheese. Sift confectioners sugar and add to the cottage cheese, along with the vanilla and continue blending. Scrape down the sides a couple of times to ensure that the cottage cheese is completely smooth. Puree the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Spread on muffins, dollop on French toast, or serve as a dip for fruit or graham crackers.
