cranberry walnut yogurt muffins

Cabin fever has (sort of) started to set in, and I think it’s about time the routine started again. I joked this morning that I may forget how to drive to work, it’s been so long! Four day weekends are tough.

Oh and I have a full week off from work next week. I know most people just get a long weekend for Presidents Day. But us educators get a full week off. I’ll be kicking off my vacation with a weekend in the Poconos with Boyfriend & his family, and then heading to NYC to visit my college friends. At some point, I’ll get around to doing my taxes (sigh) and attempting some organization projects around the apartment. Hopefully it will be a productive week!

This second snow day wasn’t all that productive. It went so fast! Outside our living room windows, the sky is darkening and dinnertime is approaching. How did that happen?

In other news, I’ve been meaning to post a muffin recipe for days, so I figured today was as good of a day as any! I have a secret when it comes to making muffins and quick breads. That secret is everyone’s favorite yogurt…Greek yogurt! In this case, Chobani.

Using yogurt in baking projects has several awesome advantages. First of all, it tastes great. Secondly, it adds moisture to your baking products. And thirdly (and most importantly), it is a great low-fat swap for the usual high-fat suspects. Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would cook without it!

At any rate, here are my muffins. And a recipe.

Cranberry Walnut Yogurt Muffins

You will need…

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 6-oz container of nonfat Chobani vanilla yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup lite vanilla soymilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you can use white flour too, but I like the taste of WW)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method…

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk one egg with the sugar. Add yogurt, applesauce, soy milk, and vanilla. Stir to combine but don’t overmix.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry to the wet, mixing until combined. Gently fold in the cranberries and walnuts.
4. Your batter will be slightly thicker than usual muffin batter; that’s cause of the Greek yogurt, no worries. Fill cupcake liners in the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until tops are browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Reader Question: What is your favorite low-fat secret weapon?