Sometimes you find a new recipe, tweak it a bit to lighten it up, and it comes out so good you can't wait to share.  Lightened Up Apple Pie Muffins is one of those recipes!

As per my usual Sunday morning, I set out to make my family what has become referred to as our "BIG breakfast."  It's become a tradition of sorts.  If you are here, there's no option not to join us at the table!  During the week, I had made an extra corned beef (on St. Patty's Day) for Corned Beef Hash for "big breakfast." I wanted to make a muffin to go along side but I didn't want to make a dense, high calorie muffin since the Corned Beef Hash was anything BUT light.  I knew I wanted it fruity.  I did a quick search on Allrecipes using the fruits I had on hand, and found a promising recipe...however, it was anything but light...312 calories and 10.5g of fat per muffin! 

It was a recipe ripe for tweaking, however, so that is what I did.  I was pleased with the outcome and knew I would be sharing.  

While these muffins are good warm from the oven, because of the fruit in them, they are even better the next day!  Moist and delicious. I can see this muffin recipe quickly becoming one of my go-to recipes for sure!  Take note, these muffins won't raise much in the oven.  They only call for baking soda and not powder, so don't expect a high crown, it won't happen.

Lightened Up Apple Pie Muffins

By Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Published 03/24/2014

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 TBS canola oil (or vegetable oil or coconut oil)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 cups fine diced apples, about 2 medium apples peeled and cored. (I used my chopper to get them fine diced)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 TBS granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl or 4-cup measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg, unsweetened applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Add in the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.
4. Add the wet mixture to the center of the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the apples, raisins and walnuts.
5. Fill muffin tins to the top with batter. (These muffins will not raise a lot because they have no baking powder in them, just soda) Combine the granulated sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the muffin batter evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
6. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers some out clean.
7. Allow to cool on wire rack for about 15-20 minutes before eating. Store covered. They are even better the next day!

Yield: 12-13 muffins
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 25 mins.
Total time: 40 mins.
Tags: muffins, breads, apple, cinnamon, breakfast

Adapted from Allrecipes 

Servings - 12 - 13 muffins   Serving size - 1 muffin  Points Plus per Serving - 6 P+
Calories - 206.9,   Total Fat - 3.7g,   Carbs - 45.4g,   Protein - 4g,   Fiber - 2.7g

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