Yogurt Muffins

While many people are familiar with having yogurt for a quick snack or healthy breakfast, it is also a versatile ingredient in home baking.  Use it when you are making quick breads and muffins for a moist and flavorful nutrition boost.  Using a flavored yogurt such as peach works well with the blueberries in these muffins. Make these muffins even healthier by using your own homemade yogurt.  This can be time consuming, but is made easier with the use of a yogurt maker. It will save your family money, and you will have the added comfort of knowing exactly what the ingredients are. If you choose to go with store bought yogurt, look for one that is low fat and does not have sugar added. Yogurt with live cultures is better for your health and suitable for baking.  Note: Vanilla flavored yogurt tends to be higher in carbohydrates than other store bought yogurt, so choose carefully if you are diabetic or counting carbs.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain or flavored yogurt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups natural wheat bran

2 tsp  organic vanilla (mexican vanilla if you can get it)

2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Using a medium bowl, combine yogurt with baking soda.  In a large bowl,  beat eggs, sugar and oil together.  Stir in bran and vanilla.  Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt to sugar mixture, alternating with the yogurt mixture.  Fold in fruit carefully so the blueberries don’t “bleed” into the mixture.  Fill non-stick or greased muffin pans 3/4 full and bake for about 35 minutes or until the centre of each muffin springs back when touched with a knife.  Cool in pan for five minutes, then carefully remove.

Makes 2 dozen muffins that freeze very well.

Flavor Variations:

Try vanilla or lemon flavored yogurt with raspberries.

Strawberry flavored yogurt with blueberries.

Banana flavored yogurt with chocolate chips.

Lemon flavored yogurt with dried cranberries.

Blueberry flavored yogurt with diced peaches.