A Healthier Muffin

"How can you sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless."
"Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them." 

- Oscar Wilde from the Importance of Being Earnest

I must start by saying that contrary to the above quote if you would like these muffins to be healthy you must refrain from adding butter to them.  However, these muffins are so moist I do not think that butter is needed.  When I travel I have one habit that really makes my flight so enjoyable.  Before I leave I stop by the airport bookstore and buy a book that requires absolutely no thought.  On a flight I don't want to read something that requires me to analyze the way I act, change my diet or attitude, or cause me to cry over the state in which our world exists.  If I'm already going to have to go through an outrageous security line, endure sitting next to an absolute stranger, and feel cramped (I have long legs) for the next several hours I at least want to read something that is mindless.  I love reading a really great fiction story that can transport me to another place and time.  The book I picked up wasn't my favorite but definitely had the best layout of any book I've seen.  The book was called How to Bake A Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal and everything from the turquoise cover (we know how I love that color) to the fact that almost every chapter was finished with a recipe made me absolutely ecstatic with the layout.  I mean why haven't they combined fiction and recipes before this?  So when I saw the book I read about 2 sentences regarding what it was about and bought it.  My thought process was even if the book is awful I can still use the recipes. 

The book was somewhat good, unfortunately it didn't live up to my Nicholas Sparks expectations but I did like it.  However, the recipes and the fact that it was about a baker who owns her own bakery made me fall in love.  Since finishing the book and returning from my trip I've decided I really want to learn to bake bread.  So I've started a sourdough starter (we'll see how that goes), made a french baguette, learned how to make the oven moist so it cooks more like a french oven, and tried out these amazing Raspberry/Blueberry muffins I'm about to share.  They amazed me because they didn't use any sugar and little oil and had added protein from Greek yogurt.  So from one recipe book lover to another... enjoy!

mmmmmmm........

Hearty Berry Streusel Muffins

MAKES 30 MUFFINS!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup spelt flour*

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup honey*

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt *

1 6 oz container of blueberry Greek yogurt*

1/2 cup milk

3 TBSP canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup each fresh blueberries and raspberries

Preheat oven to 400

Mix dry ingredients together

In separate bowl mix together until combined, all wet ingredients except blueberries and raspberries

Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients

with almond streusel topping

Mix quickly until just moistened throughout

Add berries and fold in gently

Place into greased or paper lined muffin tins (I found that due to the weight of the yogurts and honey in this recipe they do not turn out with the pretty popped up muffin if you fill them to the typical 3/4 way full, fill them all the way to the top and you will get the nice puffed muffin effect)

Bake for 15 minutes

Cool for 15 minutes in the pan to allow the berries to set

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack

Refrain from eating before cool as the berries will stick to the paper if not cooled completely

*original recipe mentioned you can use 1/2 cup of white flour instead of spelt but I loved the different tastes and textures, also you may use raw sugar instead of honey but it will be less healthy, you may also use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt but it won't have as much protein, you may use blueberry or raspberry yogurt (regular or Greek) but I couldn't find raspberry Greek yogurt and I wanted to use Greek

You can add a streusel topping that was listed in the recipe but please note that if you add this you will add sugar and butter but it does add a fabulous crunch to the muffin

Streusel:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
3 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped lightly toasted almonds (walnuts or pecans also work)
1 1/2 TBSP melted butter
Mix together and sprinkle on top of muffins before baking

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