Delicious Low-Fat Muffins

I love to bake, but baking isn't very conducive to staying on a diet. I searched all over the interwebs for a low-fat, low-calorie muffin recipe that would actually taste good. I finally found one that worked as a base; after I added a few ingredients these turned out light, fluffy, and delicious. I made a batch of them using some of the raspberries I picked up at the Farmer's Market last weekend. I have also made them with lemon and blueberries (fabulous!). You can get the recipe below.

Delicious Low-Fat Muffins
serving size: 1 muffin, serves 12
calories: 128, carbs: 22, fat: 4

Ingredients (muffin base):
1/2 c. 2% milk
1/4 c. vegetable or canola oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Variations:
add 1 c. well-drained fresh or thawed frozen blueberries and 1 tsp. lemon zest
add 1 c. well-drained fresh or thawed frozen raspberries and 1/2 tsp. almond extract
add 1 c. well-drained fresh or thawed frozen cranberries and 1 tsp. orange zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin using a non-stick spray (like Pam) or use silicone muffin cups. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla (stir gently but do not beat). Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine with a few strokes until just damp. Add the fruit and combine gently until no large pockets of dry ingredients remain (batter will still be lumpy). Fill muffin cups approximately 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

I use silicone muffin cups instead of a standard muffin tin. I have a small kitchen and even less room for baking supplies. If you haven't baked using silicone cups or pans, I highly recommend them. My baked goods pop right out of the cups every time, no problem. I just put the cups on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (just in case).

Don't those look yummy?

I have some star-shaped muffin cups too. How cute is that little star muffin? I gave it to my little guy. He loved it. I hope you try these out. Do you have any other suggestions for wonderful muffin flavor combinations?