Chocolate Chip Muffins - Light and Healthy - and versatile!

This is my go-to healthy muffins recipe from the September/October 1992 issue of Pillsbury Fast and Healthy magazine.  Not only is it yummy, but you can go from beginning to eating within 30 minutes!

This is the basic Lite Muffins recipe with variations to suit what you have on hand.  It has about a third less oil than a standard muffin recipe.

Chocolate Chip Lite Muffins
in my Pampered Chef stone baker

LITE MUFFINS

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 375 (400 per original recipe).  Line a 12-muffin cup pan with paper baking cups.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.
In a 2 cup measuring cup (or a small bowl, this way with the measuring cup it is one less item to wash)
combine milk, oil, and egg - blend well.
Add to dry ingredients; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Divide batter evenly among paper-lined muffin cups.
Bake at 375 for 18-23 minutes or until light golden brown.
Cool 1 minute, remove from pan.
Serve warm

Chocolate chip muffins - add 3/4 cup chocolate chips to dry mix
Apple muffins - decrease sugar to 1/4 cup and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to flour, stir 1 cup finely chopped, peeled apple into dry ingredients.  Substitute apple juice for milk
Blueberry muffins - Stir 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and 1/4 teaspoon Penzeys Cake Spice into dry ingredients
Jam muffins - Before baking, place 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam on each muffin; press into batter.  If desired, sprinkle with finely chopped nuts
Lemon muffins - Add one tablespoon grated lemon peel to dry ingredients
Orange muffins - Add one tablespoon grated orange peel to dry ingredients and substitute orange juice for milk
Streusel-topped muffins - In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon softened butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup chopped nuts or flaked coconut; blend with fork until crumbly.  Sprinkle over muffins before baking
Sugar-coated muffins - Brush tops of hot muffins with orange juice, dip in mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Whole wheat muffins - Use one cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour

Fresh Fig Muffins

Fresh Fig Muffin
(Christmas in July?)

From "The Figgery" today. . .I baked this Fresh Fig Muffin recipe adapted from The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco.   These turned out GREAT!  Tasted wonderful warm and at room temperature.  Hopefully they will freeze well, as I was able to get 15 muffins out of this recipe.  Albeit using my "seasonal" cup cake paper cups.  I don't like to try and pry muffins out of the tin, but I do like an after-holiday sale.  I can usually pick these up for 10 to 25 cents a package.  I also think the designs are pretty.

The changes I made were using Celeste figs and sprinkling some Sugar in the Raw on top before baking for sparkle.  Next time I may try subbing out 1/4 to 1/2 of whole wheat flour.  I will try 1/4 cup first, as these are so light as they are.  Also the cinnamon-y/brown sugar muffin base smells and tastes just heavenly as it is baking and afterwards.   I bet you could make these again and sub out pieces of apple, or blueberries, or peaches for the figs.  Add walnuts or almonds.   This recipe is definitely a winner!

FRESH FIG MUFFINS

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2  cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup chopped fresh figs (I quartered the smaller Celeste figs)

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Generously butter a standard 12 cup muffin pan or line it with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In a second small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla.

Using an electric mixer (if you have a paddle attachment, use it.  I used the regular Kitchen Aid one), beat the butter and brown sugar until well combined.

With the mixer at low speed, alternate adding the the dry and liquid ingredients - 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 buttermilk mixture, 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 buttermilk mixture, 1/3 flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Remove bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the figs.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

I love my Pampered Chef stoneware.
A nice remembery gift from a very dear friend of mine

Bake until the muffins are a deep golden brown in color, 25-30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then turn out muffins from the pan and let them cool completely.

Makes 12 to 15 muffins.

Look carefully -You can see the melted and caramelized  figs inside

P.S.  How impressed was I by this recipe??  I just bought the cookbook!  Since it was published in 2009, Amazon has them new and used starting at $3.99.  Target and Walmart also sell it online, if you have a gift card from them - I'd consider getting this cookbook.  And then give the giver something you made from it. 

Chai Pistachio Muffins

Cooking Light's Pistachio Chai Muffins from the May 2011 issue
I used Numi Golden Chai tea bags -- the perfect blend of spices and taste. These were so good, they've become an immediate family favorite!

Ingredients:
7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 chai blend tea bags, opened
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut open tea bags; add tea to flour mixture, stirring well. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon water, stirring until smooth. Drizzle evenly over muffins.

Enjoy!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins!

My favorite go-to fast and healthy muffin recipe!

(Click here for the Chocolate Chip Muffin version)

I had just a little over a cup of blueberries in the freezer-perfect! And leftover on sale holiday (Christmas this time. Keep Christmas in your heart and money in your wallet!) cupcake liners. Festive is festive, I say. Sprinkle some white Sparkle Sugar...and red sugar (crossing fingers it wouldn't look too vampire-y!) and you've got yourself a tasty, pretty and patriotic muffin.

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar (just a bit less)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten

1 cup of blueberries

1/4 teaspoon Penzey's Cake Spice, optional

A splash of vanilla or almond extract, optional

Heat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups. In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cake spice - mix well. In small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg (I also add a splash of vanilla extract), blend well. Add to dry ingredients, stir just until moistened. Add blueberries. Bake for 18-23 minutes or until light golden brown. (start checking around 16 minutes). Cool for one minute, remove from pan and serve warm. If there are any left over, these also freeze well.