Muffins, Mastered

I'm always on the lookout for a fine muffin recipe. The store-bought muffins almost always are out of my caloric league (One oatmeal bran muffin will cost ya 470-500+ calories with a meager 2 grams of fiber to boot). I've tested the culinary limits to attempt a "healthy muffin" full of whole grains, dried fruits, and little sugar, but the results are often poor and unsuccessful. I find the Bob's Red Mill recipes are pretty good, but again, I always find myself substituting ingredients to give the muffin the competitive edge I feel it needs. I was at my wits end recently when another batch of muffins went straight to the trash. Then I remembered a Cooking Light recipe from Jan/Feb 2008 that I made last summer. I searched my old magazines and rustled up the recipe. I sighed, realizing a was missing a few ingredients and would be making substitutions, probably resulting in a less than perfect product. I stunned even myself with the final product. It's the best muffin I've ever eaten! And with whole wheat flour, frozen fruit and a dose of omega-3s from the flaxseed, this recipe is a keeper! The original recipe is called Orange Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins. My creation is affectionately dubbed "Lemon-Orange Raspberry Flaxseed Muffins".

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup orange juice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix flours, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, spices, salt together. Make a well in the center.
3. Combine brown sugar, oil, rind, OJ, and eggs. Add this and frozen raspberries to flour mixture; stir until just combined. Spoon batter into 12 nuffin cups, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes.
4. ENJOY with a Tbsp of almond butter for an additional nutritional punch!


The muffin man would surely approve.