A Stress-Free Valentine’s Day: Possible or Paradox?

Forget Halloween ghouls and goblins; candy companies and Hallmark team up to make February the scariest time of the year. Larger than life teddy bears, ice cream-flavored conversation hearts, and sappy oversized cards threaten to attack every time you walk into Walmart, Walgreens, or even the grocery store. With all of the pressure to make February 14^th the most romantic day of the year, I’d much rather celebrate the holiday in July when my loved ones least expect it!

But quite a few girls (and guys) would be heartbroken if everyone boycotted Valentine’s Day, so I devised a simple, stress-free solution to start the day out right: Surprise your sweetie with breakfast in bed without waking up at the crack of dawn.

These muffins, a variation of the jam-filled cornflake ones I baked a few weeks ago, can easily be prepared the night before while your valentine gets ready for bed. In the morning, set your alarm just 5 minutes earlier—enough time to pour a cup of coffee or OJ and reheat a couple of muffins for a deliciously thoughtful treat.

Double Apple Cereal Muffins

makes a baker’s dozen (13 muffins)

These muffins don’t rise much, so fill the muffin cups almost all the way full. And while the paper cupcake liners look cute in the photographs, I ended up scraping half of the muffins off of its sides with my fork! If you really want to use liners, try foil ones instead.

1 c. cornflakes

1 c. bran flakes

1½ c. skim milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ c. applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

¼ c. dark brown sugar

1 c. whole-wheat flour

½ c. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 medium apple, diced

Preheat the oven to 350°, and lightly coat 13 muffin cups with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine the cornflakes and milk. Let them sit for 2 min, or until the cereal softens. Add the bran flakes, egg, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar stirring well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the cereal mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the apples.
Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 26-28 min, or until the muffins turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.