To Die For Blueberry Muffins (REDUCED FAT & 295 Calories)

So here is a funny story.  I recently ordered a piece of furniture, to be exact, a ladder bookshelf in espresso.  My husband assembled the bookshelf today and we soon realized the color was not espresso, but rather a cherry brown.  SIGH!  We tested the furniture in three different corners of the living room and to our dismay nothing looked right.  Of course, he started not-so-serious fighting with me saying I ordered the wrong thing and the wrong color.  WHATEVA!  He soon went for a shower, and in the meantime I lifted the somewhat heavy bookshelf to the bedroom where our furniture color is cherry brown.  I quickly decorated the bookshelf with picture frames of us, candles, and his graduate degree.  When he entered the room I was smiling and jokingly covered my ears hoping he wouldn’t be mad and start his not-so-serious yelling.  Now a drumroll please… my husband saw the bookshelf, was pleasantly surprised, and then smiled.  He actually smiled and said, “this looks so cute.”  I guess he liked the bookshelf after all.  HAHA!  So what is the moral here?  I think it’s fair to say there are some things women instinctively know best, of course, I usually figure things out thru trial and error.  In conclusion, my hubby acknowledged his mistake and I’m lucky the bookshelf at least matched our bedroom furniture… returning furniture is a pain, you know!

Wasn’t that such a cute story?  It makes me smile when I think of it.  And now, muffins! Yesterday, I went home to spend some time with my sister and her family before they left for California.  I baked my entire family these sinfully delicious blueberry muffins and they were a huge hit in the house.  Everyone said the muffins were soft and delicious.  Although I lowered the fat by 34%, these muffins still tasted really good.  My sister, brother-in-law, and I enjoyed these muffins in not one, but two dessert & tea sittings.  OH YEAH!  We are all tea addicts and we are proud of it!  The three of us hung out gossiping with my nieces Jazz and Rhea, while my youngest adorable neice and cute nephew, Neha and Niku, slept.  It was a LOT of fun to say the least.  LOVE MY FAM and I know I’m very blessed that they are fun, too! 

NUTRITION: Blueberries are a very good source of Vitamin C and Fiber.  They are a good source of Vitamin E. In addition, blueberries are an ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSE.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• The recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of white flour, I replaced 1/2 cup with whole wheat pastry flour, and this adds some fiber to the muffins.  
• Instead of using 1/3 cup of Vegetable oil, I used 1/4 cup of Canola oil, which is 11g lower in saturated fat per tbsp – THAT’S HUGE!
• I replaced the remaining oil with unsweetened applesauce, you will not be able to taste it.
• I used 1% milk instead of regular milk.  
• For the crumb topping, I used 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp brown sugar, instead of 1/2 cup white sugar.  
• For the crumb topping, I used 1/4 cup white flour, instead of 1/3 cup white flour.
• Lastly, for the crumb topping, I used 2 tbsp butter, instead of 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) butter. 

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING (yields 8 BIG muffins)

• Calories: 295 cals
• Fat: 10.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
• Carbs: 52 g
• Protein: 3.8
• Fiber: 1.6 g 

TO DIE FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (REDUCED FAT) (inspired by AllRecipes)
~ yields 8 muffins @ 400 degrees

INGREDIENTS:

For Muffins:

• All Purpose Flour – 1 cup
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – 1/2 cup
• White Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Baking Powder – 2 tsp
• Canola Oil – 1/4 cup 
• Unsweetened Applesauce – 2 tbsp (I used Mott’s)
• Egg – 1
• Milk 1% – 1/3 cup
• Fresh Blueberries – 1 cup (dusted in 1 tsp of flour)

 For Crumb Topping:

• Brown Sugar – 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
• All Purpose Flour – 1/4 cup
• Unsalted Butter – 2 tbsp (room temperature)
• Ground Cinnamon – 1 1/2 tsp

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line muffin tins with muffin liners. 
For the Muffin Batter
3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients… white flour, whole wheat pastry flour, white sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Stir.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients… Canola oil, egg, unsweetened applesauce, and milk.  Whisk.
5. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Mix, but DO NOT OVERMIX.

6. TIP: In a small bowl, mix the blueberries with a teaspoon of white flour and toss.  This will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom.  
7. Add the blueberries to the batter and gently fold.
8. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners.
For the Crumb Topping – I could have had a little more crumb topping, you can increase the flour and sugar for this.

9. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, unsalted butter, and ground cinnamon.  Combine with a fork, although you may need to use your fingers.  🙂
10. Sprinkle the topping over the muffins.
11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes – I baked for 20 minutes exactly and they were perfectly golden brown.

CRUMB TOPPING RATING: 5 / 5
The crumb topping was perfect, not too sweet, not too rich.  It was buttery and just right with the right amount of cinnamon.   

OVERALL RATING: 4.5 / 5

The Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping were excellent, my family really loved them.  Once these muffins cooled down, I heated them in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds and enjoyed it with my cuppa.   
Texture: These muffins were light, filling, flaky, and crumbly.  I ate 1/2 a muffin during each sitting and they were very filling for me.  
Moistness: The muffins were very moist, however next time I’ll probably add another 2 tbsp of unsweetened applesauce for additional moisture.  Once the muffins cool, I felt they could have been moister, this is why I chose to microwave them each time I ate them.  In general, I prefer warm muffins.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IF YOU BAKE THESE!