Best Blueberry Muffins EVER!

Last summer Matthew and I visited Dallas' Farmer's Market. It was a hot summer day and the pickin's were goood! Farmers from all around the area were there to sport their delicious goods...and every stand we came to offered scrumptious, mouth-watering samples of their offerings. Of course we didn't walk away empty handed!

We brought home an entire flat of strawberries.....which I made into jam. We brought home a box of peaches (my favorite!) which were undoubtedly devoured in a couple of days...and we brought home the most delicious plump, ripe blueberries. My plan all along was to freeze them to use for smoothies and muffins during the months they are not in season....so last night when I had a hankerin' for some blueberry muffins, I knew my freezer would come through for me. And...(licking fingers here) ...YUM. It did.

{Photo courtesy: here}

In order to do the berries justice, I pulled out my favorite EVER recipe. I'm a muffin girl (you've heard of the muffin man, right? Yeah, there's a song about me too...you should check it out *wink*). Okay, but seriously...I love love LOVE muffins. I could eat them all day long. But then I'd probably gain 10 lbs in a week...so for me, they are a real treat.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite muffin cookbooks. It's called "Muffins" by Gemma Reece. (Click on the link to go to Amazon). Original title, I know. But hey, it gets to the point! I haven't ever tried a recipe in this book I'm not in love with, and what I love most about this recipe is that it's in the "Healthy Choices" section of the book. I usually skip past this section thinking they surely won't be as good as the other ones...but not this one. There is no holding back of flavor. It uses lowfat yogurt (I used vanilla) to add moistness... and just the right amount of allspice to give it that tangy, spicy yumminess. And truly, it works for any meal of the day. (Matthew and I had breakfast for dinner last night!) No regrets. ;)

Lowfat Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12

Vegetable oil cooking spray, for oiling (if using)

Scant 1 5/8 cups all-purpose flour (you can use WW flour to make them even more healthy)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. allspice

Generous 1/2 cup superfine sugar

3 large egg whites

3 Tbsp. lowfat margarine ( I use butter because I don't like the unnatural stuff in M.)

2/3 cup thick, lowfat, plain or blueberry flavored yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup fresh blueberries (or take the ones out of the freezer and rinse with water)

*Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable oil cooking spray, or line it with 12 muffin paper liners. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and half of the allspice into a large mixing bowl. Add 6 Tbsp. of the superfine sugar and mix together.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites together. Add the margarine, yogurt, and vanilla extract and mix together well, then stir in the fresh blueberries until thoroughly mixed. Add the fruit mixture to the flour mixture and then gently stir together until just combined. Do not overstir batter---it is fine for it to be a little lumpy.

Divide the muffin batter evenly between the 12 cups in the muffin pan or the paper liners (they should be about 2/3 full). Mix the remaining sugar with the remaining allspice, then sprinkle the mixture over the muffins. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden. Remove the muffins from the oven and serve warm, or place them on a cooking rack and let cool. Enjoy!

xoxo,

Gail