Even the reduced-fat muffins at restaurants often have more fat and calories than healthy eaters bargain for.

Just one Dunkin’ Donuts reduced-fat blueberry muffin serves up 450 calories and 10 fat grams. These streusel berry muffins taste sinful, but they’re good for you.

Slim down the streusel with light butter and boost the fiber in the muffins by mixing in white whole wheat flour. The original muffins called for more than a stick of butter; slash the fat by using a small amount of canola oil plus some buttermilk. The makeover muffins also contain less sugar because the berries and the streusel add plenty of sweetness. These alterations cut the calories in these muffins by 25 percent and eliminated 47 percent of the fat.

You can have one of these streusel berry muffins for 189 calories and 6 fat grams.

KATHY’S STREUSEL BERRY MUFFINS
Yield: 12 muffins

For streusel topping:

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons light butter, chilled
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For muffins:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. To make the streusel, in a small bowl, combine flours, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in light butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
3. To make muffins, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. In a large bowl, combine the egg substitute and canola oil. Add the buttermilk and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. (Batter will still be somewhat lumpy. Don’t overmix.) Gently fold in the berries. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
5. Crumble the streusel topping over the muffins and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. If the muffin tops brown before the muffins are done baking, cover the muffin tin with aluminum foil and finish baking.
6. Let the muffins cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove them and cool them on wire racks.

- Adapted from a Food Network Web site recipe

Per muffin: 189 calories, 6 fat grams, 28 carb grams, 2 fiber grams, 3 protein grams, 3mg cholesterol, 257mg sodium

- Kathy Manweiler, McClatchy Newspapers

Categories: All Articles, Breakfast, Recipes, Sweets - Other
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