If you're like me, and starting the New Year with a goal of eating healthier, here's a recipe for a relatively healthy muffin. I got it from the Cooking Light Great Food bulletin board, one of my online hangouts. I'm not going to lie and say they are as tasty as, say, a full-fat chocolate chip muffin, but they are pretty good.Spiced Apple Cider Muffins
Struesel:
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts (optional; I did not use)
Muffin batter:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter -- such as Smuckers
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup cannola oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
To prepare struesel: Mix brown sugar, whole-wheat flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts, if using. Set aside.
To prepare muffins: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
Whisk egg and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in apple butter, syrup, cider, yogurt and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened, Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they will be quite full). Sprinkle with the struesel.
Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Per muffin: 209 calories; 7 g total fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono)