Title: ISO: Mini Berry Muffins for Mon
Posted By: JaneStarr in CT
Date: April 5th 2000
Board: In the Recipe with Sarah Phillips Hi, Sarah --

I am preparing a "Press Conference" reception on Mon.
for CT congresswoman Nancy Johnson and my son's
5th grade. She is generous enough to visit our local
elementary school and spend an hour each year
answering questions posed to her by the students.
She is really wonderful with the kids, speaking neither
down to them nor over their heads. Because of her
generosity, we parents like to prepare a special
reception. This will be the 3rd and final time that I do
this (my youngest child finishes elem. school this
year). I'm all set as far as punch, coffee, donut
holes(for the kids), flowers and decorations go. I would
like to make some mini-muffins to go with our red,
white, and blue color scheme. We are only serving
"finger food" to avoid the mess and so that we don't
need plates or silverware. I did stock up on some 4th of
July cocktail napkins.

My thoughts were that I could use your basic muffin
recipe, omit the raisins and substitute about 1/2 cup of
sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup frozen blueberries. Is is
okay to use this amount of fruit? 1/2 cup total didn't
seem like it would be enough.

Since your recipe makes 12 regular-sized muffins, I
was thinking that I could get about 3 dozen
mini-muffins out of this. Does this all sound reasonable
to you? How long would you think they should bake
and at what temperature? I'm guessing 350°F for 12-15
mins -- but it's just a wild (educated??) guess. Can I
use a standard cake tester on this to see if it's done?

How should I store these since I'll have to bake them
the night before? I usually like to freshen them up in
the oven for a few minutes before serving, but I won't
have time to do this.

Here's the recipe from your book that you posted here
last January, in case it helps.

Thanks again for all your past help, and I hope that
your conference went very well!

Sarah's Do-It-Yourself Muffins
Sarah's Do It Your Own Way Muffins

This is my favorite low-fat muffin recipe from my book,
THE HEALTHY OVEN BAKING BOOK, Doubleday,
1999. It is available from tkl (amazon.com) and is
loaded with low-fat and fat-reduced recipes.

For this recipe, I calculated the WW points for you.

Mix in blueberries,raspberries,cranberries... whatever is
in season. Just do it you way! NUTRITIONAL
INFORMATION:

Calories: 176
Carbs: 35
Fat: 3 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Fiber: 2 - 3 grams
WW POINTS: 3 - 4

INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick canola oil spray
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spoon into a
measuring cup and level top)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 grated tsp fresh nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 packed cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisinss PREPARATION:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat
to 350°F. Lightly spray twelve 2 ¾ by 1 ½ inch
nonstick muffin cups with oil.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder,
baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well
combined. Set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, using a handheld electric
mixer set at high speed, beat the buttermilk,
applesauce, brown sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla until
frothy, about two minutes. Make a well in the center of
the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture.
Using a spoon, mix just until moistened. Gently fold in
the raisins until the flour is incorporated. Do not
overmix.

4. Divide the batter equally among the prepared muffin
cups. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed
gently in the center, about 20 minutes. Do not
overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire cake rim for 10
minutes before removing from cups. Serve warm or
cool.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
Berry Muffins: substitute 1/2 cup fresh or frozen (do not
thaw) blueberries or raspberries for the raisins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins: Omit the raisins; add 1/4 cup
mini-chocolate chips.

Cranberry-Pumpkin Muffins: Subsitute 1/2 cup solid
pack pumpkin for 1/2 cup of the applesauce and 1/2
cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) cranberries for the
raisins.

Winter Fruit Muffins: Substitute 1/2 cup prune baby
food for 1/2 cup of the applesauce and 1/2 cup dried
currants for the raisins.

Nut Muffins: Omit the raisins; sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped
walnuts or pecans over the tops of the muffins and
press gently into the batter before baking. Source: The Healthy Oven Baking Book By Sarah
Phillips