Berry Rich Muffins

From EatingWell: September/October 1996, The EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook (2005) — Subscribe Now!

Dried blueberries or cherries enhance the fruitiness of these wholesome berry muffins. If it is more convenient, use frozen berries instead of fresh.

1 dozen muffins

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar, or 1/3 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
1 cup buttermilk, or equivalent buttermilk powder and water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries, or dried cherries
1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 standard 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with cooking spray.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk egg, egg white and brown sugar (or Splenda) in a medium bowl until smooth. Add buttermilk, oil, lemon (or orange) zest and vanilla; whisk until blended.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients; stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently stir in mixed berries and dried fruit. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sugar over the tops.
Bake the muffins until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges and turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Tips & Notes

Ingredient note: You can use buttermilk powder in place of fresh buttermilk. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
Substituting with Splenda: In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, sucralose is the only alternative sweetener we test with when we feel the option is appropriate. For nonbaking recipes, we use Splenda Granular (boxed, not in a packet). For baking, we use Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking, a mix of sugar and sucralose. It can be substituted in recipes (1/2 cup of the blend for each 1 cup of sugar) to reduce sugar calories by half while maintaining some of the baking properties of sugar. If you make a similar blend with half sugar and half Splenda Granular, substitute this homemade mixture cup for cup.
When choosing any low- or no-calorie sweetener, be sure to check the label to make sure it is suitable for your intended use.

Nutrition

Per muffin: 196 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 174 mg sodium; 119 mg potassium.

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat

Nutrition Note: Per muffin with Splenda: 2 Carbohydrate Servings, 183 calories, 27 g carbohydrate.