Summertime – any season, actually – is the perfect time to enjoy warm muffins bursting with blueberries. Regular blueberry muffins can be loaded with refined carbs and fat, but I’ve come up with a healthier, 100 percent whole wheat blueberry muffin that is delicious.
How delicious? Any leftovers should be frozen, to prevent, ahem, unplanned snacking.
These are slightly sweet muffins that would be great with coffee or tea. They weigh in at 170 calories, 27 grams carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber. While they are not “diet muffins,” 100 Percent Whole Wheat Muffins are only a modest splurge and use no artificial sweeteners.
To cut carbs further, you could try reducing the brown sugar topping or don’t use at all, but add the cinnamon to the batter with the dry ingredients. Without any topping, the muffins would be 25 grams of carb and about 160 calories.
My recipe is an adaptation of a Betty Crocker recipe. I tinkered with the mixing technique, doubled the amount of whole wheat flour and used fresh, not frozen blueberries. I sifted the whole wheat flour, which makes for a lighter texture. I also increased the amount of blueberries, because they taste good, add fiber and most importantly, make for a larger muffin.
When it come to blueberry muffins, the bigger, the better.
100 Percent Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup milk (I used 1 percent milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use the King Arthur brand)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen OK)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place paper baking cups in each muffin cup.
In a small cup, mix brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Sift whole wheat flour into a large bowl, then mix in baking powder and salt.
In a separate, smaller bowl, mix milk, oil, honey and egg. Add this mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until flour mixture is just moistened. Gently fold in blueberries (if using fresh berries, be particularly gentle while mixing.)
Divide batter evenly among cups (yes, they will look full.) Sprinkle tops with brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Start testing with toothpick at about 18 minutes of baking; the key to a moist whole wheat muffin is to not overbake.
Immediately remove from pan and put on rack to cool. Note: the muffin papers will be a little difficult to remove, but the end result is worth it.