Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

I had some left over blueberries that I wanted to use up before they went bad. I looked on some of my usual blogs for ideas for a new and healthy recipe. I have been trying to use applesauce instead of oil to eliminate some fat in recipes so this one seemed like a perfect fit, plus I already had all of the ingredients except buttermilk in the house. Usually I prefer buttermilk was was too lazy to venture to the store for some. I found online a way to substitute regular milk for buttermilk. Take the 1/2 cup of regular milk (in this case I used skim milk) and add 1/2 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to it. Stir together and let it sit for 2 minutes until the milk becomes acidic and curdled. I did this before starting the recipe so that it could sit while  I measured everything out and came to the wet ingredients.

I really enjoyed the hearty texture and flavor the oatmeal gave the muffins and yet somehow it was not a heavy or dense muffin. Despite being low fat and whole grain they are extremely moist and flavorful with a hearty texture.

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins
Yield: 12-14 muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  In another bowl combine the applesauce, buttermilk, brown sugar, oil and egg.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in the applesauce mixture.  Stir together just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.  Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups until 2/3 full. Note that the batter is on the thicker side. I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop it out. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Source: Annie's Eats

Nutritional Information: (Calculated on Sparkpeople)

Calories: 128; Total Fat: 3.2g; Cholesterol: 13.6mg; Sodium: 140mg; Total Carbohydrates: 26g; Fiber: 2.5g; Sugars: 12g; Protein: 3g