BLUEBERRY MUFFINS, BUT MAKE THEM WHOLE WHEAT — AND SWOON-WORTHY
Flour blend, honey, cardamom render these moist, flavorful Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins With Honey and Cardamom
After biting into one of these tender, moist muffins, I couldn’t help but wonder why every betterfor-you muffin I’ve bought at a store has tasted so bad. They have unfailingly been disappointing, heavy and dry. I’m not exactly sure where they are going wrong, but I do know where this recipe goes right.
First, mixing regular whole-wheat flour with a more tender variety yields just the right texture, soft and cakelike, with a satisfying heartiness. (For tender flour, I use whole-wheat pastry or white wholewheat flour to keep the muffin 100 percent whole grain, but all-purpose is fine, too.)
Second, using enough healthy oil instead of butter keeps the saturated fat down without sacrificing the grain-coating tenderness fat provides. Adding less sweetener and more berries to the batter than is
typical makes these better for you, too.
Honey instead of refined sugar not only adds a lovely layer of flavor, it helps keep the crumb extra-moist. I seasoned these with ground cardamom, which has a heady, fruity aroma that heightens the flavors of the honey and baked blueberries. But the muffins are also excellent with a teaspoon of finely grated lemon
These muffins are not only tender and moist, bursting with berries and wafting with the fruity aroma of cardamom, they are better for you too, made with whole-grain flour, healthful oil and with less sweetener than most muffins have. You could keep them refined-sugar free, if you prefer, but a finishing sprinkle of coarse sugar is a worthy flourish.
Makes 12 servings (12 muffins)
1⁄2 cup (120 milliliters) neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, plus more for brushing the pan
1 cup (125 grams) whole-wheat flour
3⁄4 cup (94 grams) whole-wheat pastry flour, white whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour
11⁄2 cups (212 grams) fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries 11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder 13⁄4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon fine salt zest instead of the spice.
Either way, these muffins 2 large eggs, at room are a swoon-worthy experience temperature that’s in a different 1⁄2 cup (170 grams) mild honey class entirely from the 1⁄2 cup (123 grams) plain healthful muffins you have full-fat or low-fat yogurt probably tried before. If you 1 teaspoon vanilla extract know of a shop that makes them this good, please let 3 teaspoons demerara or
turbinado sugar (optional) me know. Until I find one, I’ll stick to baking my own.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly brush a 12-cup muffin tin with oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours. Place the blueberries in a small bowl. Take 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture and sprinkle it over the berries, tossing to coat evenly.
Add the baking powder, cardamom, baking soda and salt to the bowl with the flours and whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, honey, yogurt and vanilla until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined; do not overmix. Gently stir in the blueberries.
Evenly divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Sprinkle the top of each with 1⁄4 teaspoon of the sugar, if using.
Bake for about 17 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Let cool in the tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a butter knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Serve warm, or let cool completely.
Storage notes: The muffins can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or individually wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
Per serving (1 muffin, using whole-wheat pastry flour and low-fat yogurt): 210 calories, 10 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 162 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 14 g sugar, 4 g protein
From cookbook author and registered nutritionist Ellie Krieger.