Lil' Citrus Muffins

This recipe accompanies Pampered Chef’s Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan.  I know it is wonderful as written!  My "lightened" version is below. I made these for our breakfast this morning, and we all thought they were really good.  The original version has 12 grams of fat per serving ( 3 mini muffins.) My version only has about 1 gram of fat per serving (3 mini muffins.)

You could add a few poppy seeds to this recipe, if you like.  A tablespoon of poppy seeds has about 4 grams of fat.

I use a tablespoon-size measuring spoon, that I've spritzed with cooking spray, to spoon the batter into my mini muffin pan. This is just about the right amount, the muffins are somewhat uniform in size, and the cooking spray helps the batter slide right into the little cup. One of the best things about mini muffins is that they cook really quickly! I also think they help with portion control.  Of course, you can just make this in a standard-size muffin pan, as well.  I'd think one "regular-sized" muffin would be 1 gram or so of fat. The whole batch has right at 9 grams, so just divide 9 by the number of muffins you make to get your fat grams.

Lil' Citrus Muffins

Lil' Citrus Muffins

http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/recipesearch/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=9669

1  cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons orange, lemon or lime zest

Topping:

2   tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/3   cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For muffins, lightly spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners. In Small Batter Bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.

2. In Classic Batter Bowl, beat 1/4 cup softened butter and 2/3 cup sugar until well blended. Add egg; beat until smooth. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and orange zest. Add flour mixture; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.)

3. Using Small Scoop, drop a rounded scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Cool in pan 3 minutes; remove from pan. Cool slightly. For topping, dip tops of warm muffins into butter and then into sugar. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 dozen

Nutrients per serving: (3 muffins): Calories 260, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbohydrate 35 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 190 mg, Fiber 0 g

My low-fat version:

“Healthified” Lil' Citrus Muffins

1  cup Heart-Smart Bisquick

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup Egg Beaters

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon orange, lemon or lime zest or juice (I used a tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate, because I was out of lemons. You could use frozen lemonade/limeade concentrate in this same way.)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For muffins, lightly spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners. 

2. Whisk together Bisquick and sugar. Form a well and add Egg Beaters, sour cream, vanilla and citrus zest or juice; mix just until ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix.)

3. Drop about a tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Cool in pan 3 minutes; remove from pan. Cool slightly. Brush with glaze. Yield: 2 dozen

Fat-free Glaze

2/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice (I used a tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate and 1 tablespoon of fat-free half and half.)

1 teaspoon grated lemon, orange or lime rind (optional)

Put the sugar in a small bowl; add lemon juice and rind. Whisk together until smooth and well blended. Drizzle over muffins.