Favorite Muffins Made Healthier

I regularly make a batch of applesauce muffins for my husband which he loves in his lunch that are awesome, the recipe for which I posted on my dog blog, but they are also pretty high in sugar and fat. Wanting a muffin I could pack in MY lunch with less than half the fat and significantly less sugar as well as a flour I can digest, I came up with these. Made with  Einkorn flour from Italy, an ancient grain which is completely different DNA wise than American flour; it's one  I can digest a portion of each day, even with an allergy to hybridized wheat protein. Plus it's also much lower in gluten than American all-purpose flour, not suitable for Celiac sufferers but found to be good for many with just gluten sensitivity. It's a bit pricey but well worth trying if you have difficulty digesting white all- purpose or whole wheat flours.

They turned out pretty darn good - ,moist, sweet but not TOO sweet, and soft.

Healthy Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup gluten free oats (oats themselves are gluten-free but many of the cheap brands are processed where there is cross contamination - I use Bob's Red Mill).
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk or almond milk
1 large egg or equivalent egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup Einkorn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins, optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the muffin cups. Set aside.

In a medium bowl with a small hand mixer on high-speed, cream the softened butter (or coconut oil) and sugar until fluffy.  On low-speed,  mix in applesauce and egg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (and cranberries or raisins if using). Make a well in the center and pour in the applesauce mixture. Stir with a spoon until just combined (don't overmix or the muffins will be door stops).

Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15-19 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This is a more of a moist batter than many muffins, when the muffins are done, a toothpick inserted inside will come out clean, but the top will still look a bit moist, this is normal for this recipe.  When the toothpick is clean and the edges are light brown they are done.

Remove the muffin pan to a  wire rack.  When muffins are mostly cool, remove to a plate - cooling the muffins completely in the tin can make them dry.