“Have you seen the muffin man, the muffin man…”
Back in the 1950’s (which, for the record, I wasn’t born in…just so ya know), this was a popular nursery rhyme. But, back in the day, not only were people confused about who the muffin man was, they also didn’t know what a muffin was. In some parts of the world, particularly in England, a muffin was of the “bready” type (think English muffin). In other parts of the world (aka: America), a muffin was of the “cakey” variety. Confusion at it’s finest.
So, as usual, America won and the muffin became widely known as what it is today – a small cake. Over the years, as we have become more and more health conscious, there are many varieties that claim to be good for you – full of fibre, fruit, and other goodness.
Buuut, most aren’t good for you at all – especially those found in local coffee shops. Not only are they gigantic, but instead of being a snack (which they are often marketed as), they contain as many calories as a slice of cake (note: a Tim Horton’s chocolate chip muffin has 410 calories and 14 g of fat…which is the same calorie count as a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit…imagine?!).
So, if I told you that you could make a muffin, lickety split, at home, that is actually good for you, would ya try it?
You could be the muffin man…just healthier…
“Have you seen the muffin top, the muffin top….”
Nope…not anymore 🙂
Best Ever Mixed Fruit Yogurt Muffin
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour you could play around with different types of flours
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/3 cup yogurt you can use plain, fruit, vanilla, sour cream, buttermilk or kefir
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil you can also use melted coconut oil or substitute apple sauce to make it even healthier
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs or use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup mixed fruit I love berries the best
- 1 cup granola or 1/2 cup coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and either grease a muffin tin with butter/oil/cooking spray or line each section with a muffin paper liner.
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon); mix well and set aside.
- In a smaller bowl mix together eggs, yogurt, vanilla, brown sugar and oil (or applesauce). Pour into the centre of the dry mixture (create a well in the dry mix and pour into the centre hole); mix gently.
- Add fruit and gently fold in using a spatula (remember that a gentle hand here will result in a tender muffin).
- Scoop equally into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle the top with granola or sugar; bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of each muffin springs back when touched lightly.
- Remove from the oven and remove each muffin from the tin; place on a wire rack to cool.
- If you think you may not eat them in a day or so, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
