Amaranth Muffins

I tried these for the first time with a friend of mine who received some that had been altered into a vegan recipe substituting almond milk for cow's milk and bananas for eggs. Overall I stuck to the orginial recipe on the Whole Foods site but used maple syrup instead of honey because I didn't want to run to the store.

These are really tasty, but as they are corn muffins they dry out in a day or two. I imagine these would go great with a southern cooked meal with some homemade honey butter. And, they're healthy!!

Amaranth Corn Muffins
by Whole Foods

3 tablespoons uncooked whole grain amaranth
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup seedless raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 12-muffin tin; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add amaranth and toast, stirring constantly, until grains start to smell nutty and turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. (Be careful not to cook the amaranth too long; it will start to pop and jump in the skillet.) Transfer to a large plate and set aside to let cool.

Combine flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk together eggs, milk, butter and honey in a second bowl, then add to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add toasted amaranth and raisins and gently stir again, just until combined.

Spoon batter into prepared tin; each muffin will use about 1/4 cup of the batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool slightly then serve.