Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup nonfat or 1% milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. Lightly coat the bottom of 12 muffin cups with oil or baking spray.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, blend vegetable oil, egg, milk and applesauce until smooth.
4. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture until just moistened. Lightly stir in the blueberries.
5. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
6. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the muffin tops are golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should come out moist but without batter.

Notes:

• To avoid rancid whole-wheat flour, store it in a container or bag that keeps the air sealed out. Keep in a cool dark area for up to 3 months or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Buy amounts that you can use within those lengths of time.
• A gravy ladle or large liquid measuring cup are great tools for pouring muffin batter into tins.

Variations:

• To use sweetened applesauce, remove about 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar from the measured amount.
• To bake as a bread, use a greased 8- or 9-inch bread pan and bake at 350 °F for 45-50 minutes.
• No whole-wheat flour? Replace with all-purpose flour.
• Replace blueberries with another fruit. Try diced apples with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, fresh or frozen cranberries with 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, or diced bananas.