ONLINE EXTRA — MUFFIN MADNESS: Streusel Berry Muffins . . . Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins . . . Carrot-Raisin Muffins, etc.

Streusel Berry Muffins

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons light butter, chilled

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

MUFFINS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

To make the streusel, in a small bowl, combine flours, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in light butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

To make muffins, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, bak-ing soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, combine the egg substitute and canola oil. Add the buttermilk and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. (Batter will still be somewhat lumpy. Don’t overmix.) Gently fold in the berries. Divide the batter into the prepared muffin tin.

Crumble the streusel topping over the muffins and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until muf-fins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. If the muffin tops brown before the muffins are done baking, cover the muffin tin with alumi-num foil and finish baking.

Let the muffins cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove them and cool them on wire racks.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 189 calories, 6 grams fat, 28 grams carbohy-drates, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 257 milligrams sodium.

Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

3 egg whites

½ cup skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Stir together flour and whole-wheat flour. Measure out 1 tablespoon flour mixture and sprinkle over blueber-ries; toss to coat evenly and set aside. Stir baking powder and salt into flour mixture; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in egg whites until well-combined. Stir in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, blending just until moistened. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into muffin cups, filling nearly to the top of each cup. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 198 calories, 26 percent of calories from fat, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 14 milligrams cholesterol, 32 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 240 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Carrot-Raisin Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup fat-free skim milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 egg whites

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup golden raisins

1¼ cups shredded carrot

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with baking papers. Lightly spray paper cups with nonstick spray coating. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nut-meg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine milk, oil, egg whites and applesauce in a smaller bowl; blend into flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Stir in raisins and car-rots. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 205 calories, 18 percent of calories from fat, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), trace cholesterol, 38 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 188 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Muffins

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup 1 percent milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup strawberry preserves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, salt and mini chips in a medium bowl. Make a deep well in the center of the flour mixture. Whisk together milk, butter and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. (Do not over stir.)

Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray coating. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each cup. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of strawberry preserves into center of each muffin. Top with remaining batter. Sprinkle tops with remaining sugar.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly touched in the center. Re-move from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 195 calories, 22 percent of calories from fat, 5 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 36 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 198 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Quiche Lorraine Muffins

Nonstick cooking spray or paper muffin cups

¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

6 strips thick-cut bacon or 8 thin strips bacon, roughly chopped

4 medium scallions, thinly sliced

2 cups all-purposes flour

½ cup yellow or white cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 cup whole milk

1¼ cups shredded Gruyere (5 ounces)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. To prepare muffin tins, spray with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper muffin cups.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil, then add bacon; saute 1 minute. Add scallions; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until scallions are wilted and the bacon lightly browned. Transfer contents of skillet to large bowl; cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl, until well blended. Set aside.

Whisk egg, egg yolks and remaining oil into bowl with bacon. Stir in milk and cheese until well incorporated. Finally, stir in prepared flour mixture until moistened.

Fill prepared tins ¾ full. Bake for 18 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center of one muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

Set pan on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and allow to cool for 5 more minutes on rack before serving.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 237.6 calories, 9 grams protein, 21.5 grams carbohydrates, 12.6 grams fat (4.4 grams saturated), 72.5 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram die-tary fiber, 321.2 milligrams sodium.

Oatmeal Pecan Corn Muffins

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

MUFFINS:

1½ cups flour

1 cup oats, uncooked

½ cup chopped pecans plus 12 pecan halves

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 10¾-ounce can condensed cream of celery soup

½ cup each: canned or frozen corn kernels, light sour cream

¼ cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or lightly grease bottoms only. For topping, combine oats, brown sugar and butter. Set aside.

For muffins, combine flour, oats, chopped pecans, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl; mix well.

Combine soup, corn kernels, sour cream, milk, egg and butter in another medium bowl; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix well until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter, patting gently. Place one pecan half in center of each muffin. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let muffins stand a few minutes; remove from pan.

To freeze: Wrap muffins securely in foil or place in freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze up to 6 months. To reheat, place foil-wrapped muffins in 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. To reheat in microwave oven, place unwrapped muffin on paper towel. Microwave on full power about 30 seconds per muffin.

Yield: 12 muffins

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 230 calories, 11 grams fat (3.4 grams satu-rated), 42 percent of calories from fat, 30 milligrams cholesterol, 360 milligrams sodium 30 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 2 grams fiber.

Strawberry Muffins

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar, plus 6 teaspoons

1½ cups chopped strawberries

2 eggs

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted

½ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the sugar in me-dium bowl. Toss in strawberries; set aside. Beat together eggs, butter, milk and vanilla in small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sugar on top of each muffin. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 240 calories, 33 percent of calories from fat, 9 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 55 milligrams cholesterol, 195 milligrams sodium, 37 grams carbohydrates, 3.7 grams protein, 1 gram fiber.

Ginger-Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup molasses

2 eggs

1/3 cup softened butter

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and bak-ing soda.

Add pumpkin, molasses, eggs, butter, milk and ginger.

Beat with a hand mixer until the ingredients are combined. Add remaining cup of flour and stir until it is blended.

Fill greased muffin tins full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Cool.

Yield: Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 227.1 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 39.4 grams carbohydrates, 6.6 grams fat (3.7 grams saturated), 50.2 milligrams cholesterol, 0.7 grams dietary fiber, 190.5 milligrams sodium.

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup corn oil

1 cup peeled, finely chopped apples

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 teaspoons butter

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, pumpkin, evaporated milk and corn oil. Add egg mix-ture to flour mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins.

To make topping, combine 2 tablespoons flour, ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinna-mon in a small bowl. Cut in 4 teaspoons butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in chopped walnuts. Sprinkle streusel over batter.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted into muffins comes out clean.

Yield: 18 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 223.5 calories, 2.9 grams protein, 38.7 grams carbohydrates, 6.7 grams fat (1.6. grams saturated), 16.3 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram die-tary fiber, 208.7 milligrams sodium.

Cinnamon Muffins

¾ cup softened butter

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 cup sour cream

TOPPING:

½ cup chopped walnuts

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer. Blend in vanilla extract and eggs.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour flour mix-ture and sour cream into butter mixture. Stir batter by hand until ingredients are blended. If batter is too dry, add a splash of milk.

Grease muffin tins. Prepare topping by mixing together walnuts, cinnamon and sugar.

Drop 1 tablespoon batter into each muffin tin. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon topping. Top with 1 more tablespoon batter. Sprinkle tops with another teaspoon of topping.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Yield: Serves 12.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 223.5 calories, 2.9 grams protein, 38.7 milli-grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat (1.6 grams saturated), 16.3 milligrams cholesterol, 1 grams dietary fiber, 208.7 milligrams sodium.

Banana-Nut Muffins

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

½ cup milk

¾ cup mashed banana

½ cup chopped nuts

¼ cup cooking oil

STREUSEL TOPPING (optional):

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped nuts

Grease 12 2.5-inch muffin cups; set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, milk, oil, mashed banana and nuts. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. You do not want to overstir this will cause muffins to become tough.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.

If desired, sprinkle streusel topping over muffin batter in cups. Topping is made by cutting butter (see ingredients list above) into mixture of flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts.

Bake in a 400-degree oven 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick in-serted in center comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin including topping: 221.1 calories, 4.5 grams protein, 27.3 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fat (2.4 grams saturated), 23.9 milligrams choles-terol, 1.1 grams dietary fiber, 148 milligrams sodium.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

4 tablespoons melted butter

2/3 cup orange marmalade

1½ cups whole fresh cranberries

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add to this the brown sugar, milk, orange juice con-centrate, melted butter and marmalade. Mix well.

Stir orange juice mixture and cranberries into flour mixture just until blended.

Fill greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Approximate nutritional analysis per muffin: 187.6 calories, 3.3. grams protein, 33.5 grams carbohydrates, 5.1 grams fat (2.9 grams saturated), 30.1 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams die-tary fiber, 258.3 milligrams sodium.

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