halitosis bad, giveaway good

Just as everyone's feet are hideous (admittedly, some are worse than others), everyone has morning breath. There's no use denying it so don't even try, but there are ways to combat it.

Sure, you could brush your teeth. Yeah, gum and mints are great. However, what if you could eat your breakfast and freshen your breath at the same time? Win win!

Before now, I can't recall ever having had mint in a true breakfast food. No cereals, no muffins, no scones, no maple-syrup vehicles, nothing. I suppose it is a bit strange, but not really. We use chocolate chips in everything from stuffing croissants to sprinkling in pancakes, so who's to say a little mint-chocolate action wouldn't be tasty first thing in the morning?

So I tried it. I tried it, and it was weird. Delicious, obviously, but also weird. I guess for me, the whole 'dessert-for-breakfast' thing takes a turn for the unappetizing when mint becomes involved.

No worries, these made perfectly good snack cakes. Fresh breath any time!

Now, about this giveaway. The fine folks of Snubbr have offered to give one of my readers any cookbook (under $35) of his or her choice, whether the focus is baking, vegan cooking, raw food, or more. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us which cookbook you'd like to win and why and the-powers-that-be will pick their favorite as the winner. Be sure to leave an email address! Comments will close on Friday, July 16th and woefully, this is only open to citizens of the US or Canada.

COMMENTS CLOSED.

Bad Breath Banishers
(adapted from these)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong coffee, cooled
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 10 oz. bag Andes baking chips

Preheat to 375°F and grease up your pan of choice, be it a 12-cup muffin pan or mini-loaf pan or something else entirely.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, making sure all the brown sugary lumps are gone.
In a smaller bowl, mix together the coffee, melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well-combined. Pour this liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend. Stop when the dry ingredients are just moistened and fold in the baking chips. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups or loaf holes and bake for about 15 minutes for muffins, 30 minutes for mini loaves, or until a toothpick comes out clean.