Butter-Free Blueberry Mini Muffins

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Did you know that February is Heart Health Month?!? Just in time to celebrate this occasion, I present you with these moist and perfectly sweet, butter-free blueberry mini muffins. Yes, you heard correctly: to make them healthier, in this recipe I replaced the butter with Mazola® Corn Oil. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim visit Mazola.com.

Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for the family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses include baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.

... And not just holding up my muffin tower ;)

There's no time like right now to take little steps, and make small changes in our diet and lifestyle to improve our heart health.

In today's recipe I substitute some of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour, I use a smaller-than-usual amount of coconut sugar rather than regular sugar, I add some unsweetened applesauce to kick up the moisture level, and as I mentioned already, I swap out the butter and use corn oil.

Last but not least, I filled these cute little bite-size muffins with fresh blueberries (frozen are fine too if you can't find them fresh!). They add a fruity and naturally sweet flavor in every bite. And, as I'm sure you know, blueberries are an excellent source of antioxidants.

Aren't these cute?!? They are simply perfect for breakfast, or a fun and yummy snack any time of the day. I love their tiny size, not only because it’s an obvious portion control technique, but also because these muffins only take 10 minutes in the oven to bake. Which means, you can have these in front of you in less than 30 minutes, from start to finish. Ha! Ready to try them out too?!?

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 24 mini muffins

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup Mazola Corn Oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 orange, finely grated zest
• 3/4 cup blueberries
• sparkling white sugar, to decorate (optional)

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200° C). Grease a 24-mini muffin pan.
In a small bowl, add the egg, oil, milk, applesauce and vanilla extract. Whisk well.

In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Mix to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix only until combined.

Fold in half cup of blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each about 3/4 of the way. Top with the rest of the blueberries and sparkling sugar if using.

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 11 minutes or until fully cooked. Test with a toothpick for readiness.
You can use the same recipe and make about 10 regular sized muffins. In this case, bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until ready.

Check out Mazola for more delicious recipe ideas.  ​