Friday's Kid-Tested Recipe - Honey Nutty Muffins

I hate sneaking food into my children's diets, so I thought I would share some of the recipes that I make with my kids (ages 3 & 2)!  When kids help cook, they rarely avoid the food because they helped to make it!  I'll try to note steps that even the youngest children can help with in the kitchen!

Looking for a super simple way to give some extra nutrients to your favorite store-bought muffin mix? This is definitely the recipe for you, even if you don't have kids!

Honey Nutty Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 + 1/4 Cups Honey Nut Cheerios
1 pouch muffin mix (~6.40 oz package, we like blueberry, triple berry, or banana nut)
1/2 C milk
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
How we make it (ignore all directions on the muffin mix!):
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line 6 regular or 24 mini muffin cups with paper baking cups and lightly spray with cooking spray.  If you don't have paper liners, just lightly spray the pan.

(Hint:  Even very young kids can line the muffin pans!)

Crush the 1 1/2 Cups of cereal.  You can either place the cereal in a sealed plastic bag and roll with a rolling pin, or in a bowl and crush with the back of a spoon.  You'll be crushing the other 1/4 Cup of cereal to use as a muffin topping, so bag it separetely and crush it now too!

(Hint:  Even very young kids can help crush the cereal!)

Pour the muffin mix, milk and oil into a medium bowl.  Stir in the egg just until moistened (batter will be lumpy).  Stir in the crushed cereal.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups filling just slightly higher than 2/3 full.  Sprinkle the 1/4 Cup of crushed cereal on the top. 

(Note:  If you are making triple berry or blueberry muffins, you can add a a few fresh blueberries or a blackberry just before the crushed cereal topping.)

Bake 15 to 20 minutes for regular-size muffins or 10-15 minutes for mini-muffins or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops spring back when touched.  Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month!

Serve for breakfast or a healthier snack alternative!  Our kids love these and ask for them all the time!