Valentine’s Day muffin love

I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Maybe this is because I cynically think it’s another excuse to give a little money to good ol’ Hallmark. Maybe this is because I think love should be celebrated every day, not just marked with chocolate and flowers on February 14. Or maybe this is just because it’s the only major holiday that I don’t have celebratory dishes for.

Nevertheless, there is some part of me that can’t help but get a little rush from Valentine’s Day fever. I guess there’s just something in the air and, in this case, it smells like berries and white chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 1 C whole-wheat flour
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C sugar
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 3/4 C almond milk (alternatively, any milk)
• 3/4 t vinegar
• 1 T milled flax seeds + 3 T water (alternatively, one egg)
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/4 C mixed dried berries
• 1/4 C white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Make up the buttermilk mixture by pouring milk atop vinegar and allowing this to rest.
• Make up the flax egg by combining the milled flax seeds with water.

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, flax egg and vanilla.

• Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture in three sections, stirring after each new addition.

• Fold in the dried berries and white chocolate chips.
• Either grease a cupcake pan or line it with cupcake liners. Fill each slot two-thirds way with batter.

• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a wooden skewer comes out clean.
• As an optional-but-suggested step, wrap a few of these up and give them to your Valentine.

Seriously, if only you could smell what I smell. Or, rather, if only your sweetie could smell what I smell — You’d definitely be getting luc… Ahem. Well, moving on.

As for me, I plan on spending time with my forever Valentine, the love of my life, the man of my dreams…

I just hope he likes white chocolate and berries!

Questions: What are your Valentine’s Day plans?

Dan made reservations to go out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town. He even invited me to go along!

That’s a good thing, too, because I have a few more gifts for him.