Low Fat Cran-Blueberry Muffins

Name: Low Fat Cran-Blueberry Muffins
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 cup 1% milk (can substitute soy or almond milk for dairy free option); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries (such as Ocean Spray Craisins); 1/2 cup fresh blueberries washed and gently dried (may use frozen, thaw first, but fresh is best); 2 tsp additional sugar; 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon; 12 paper muffin tin liners

StephieCanCook @StephieCooks

Midwest USA

Cutting back on fat and cholesterol CAN taste great!
While touted as a "healthy" breakfast option the truth about muffins is that they're still laden with fat and cholesterol in the form of oil/butter and eggs. Substituing applesauce for these items makes a truly "healthier" muffin option. I say healthiER, because these do still contain sugar after all (substitute a sugar alternative such as Splenda or Truvia if you would like! I'm just not a fan of the flavor of either).
As an important note. The texture of these muffins will be different (a little denser and spongier) due to using applesauce, but they are still VERY delicious! For an even healthier option, replace 1 cup of all-purpose flour with bran flour. This adds additional fiber!

StephieCanCook @StephieCooks

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Ingredients

2 cupall-purpose flour
1/2 cupgranulated sugar
2 1/2 tspbaking powder
1 tspsalt
3/4 cupunsweetened applesauce
1 cup1% milk (can substitute soy or almond milk for dairy free option)
1 tspvanilla extract
1/2 cupunsweetened dried cranberries (such as Ocean Spray Craisins)
1/2 cupfresh blueberries washed and gently dried (may use frozen, thaw first, but fresh is best)
Optional topping
2 tspadditional sugar
1/4 tspground cinnamon
non-food
12paper muffin tin liners

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Steps

1

Preheat oven to 400°F and place one paper liner per well in a muffin tin.
2

In a medium bowl place the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir to combine.
3

Add applesauce, milk and vanilla. Stir until just incorporated.
4

Gently fold in cranberries and blueberries.
5

Fill paper lined muffin cups evenly until all batter is used, a little over 3/4 full each. Mix additional sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of batter in each cup if desired.
6

Bake in pre-heated oven 20-25 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-Bake or they will be dry.
7

Remove from oven. Let cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and place on wire rack to cool completely. Eat and enjoy a "better for you" muffin!
8

NOTE: If you would like to enjoy these warm you will have to spray your paper liners with cooking spray. Due to the lack of oil they tend to stick to the liners while still warm. They sometimes stick when cool as well, so spraying anyway may be desired. Although this does add a trivial amount of oil. They always come clean out of the paper on day two without spray, for some crazy reason. Lol. You can also spray your muffin tin directly instead of using paper liners.

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Cooksnaps

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StephieCanCook @StephieCooks

on September 13, 2015 22:16

Midwest USA

Cooking is a hobby and a passion of mine. I love cooking and trying new and different things. The best thing about cooking? I get to prepare delicious food for my family and friends that they (almost) always love! Lol.Many of my recipes are experiments in what I could make with what was available at the time. Many are simply my version of classic and/or popular dishes. A few are variations of recipes I have found elsewhere online but adjusted to our tastes. No matter what, though, each of my recipes is tried and tested before posting and I hope you find as much joy in preparing them as I do.