Whole Grain Blackberry Spice Muffins

It's Sunday morning, and with the bitterness in my mouth of starting a new week already, I've decided to bake something to take the edge off.  These oatey, blackberry muffins are one of my favorite recipes, and one I make quite often to have a small treat for breakfast each morning along with my daily fat free Activia.  I found the recipe on Cooking Light Magazine's "recipe finder" years ago and haven't stopped making it and adapting it to my liking.  So, apart from being delicious, these muffins boast 177 calories instead of the usual minimun 250 for a regular muffin.

Ingredients (for 17 muffins):
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple-pie spice (or cinnamon)
1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400F or 204C.

Measure out flour and add to large mixing bowl.

Add your brown sugar and oats.

Add cinnamon or apple pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Mix thoroughly.

In a smaller mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.

Whisk together wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.

Mix together.

Chop up blackberries.

Add blackberries to batter.

Line cupcake tin with cupcake papers and measure out 1/4 cup batter into each one.  It should make 17 muffins.

Pop them in the oven for 17-20 minutes. Check doneness with by inserting a toothpick into the tallest muffin and if it comes out clean, they are done.

 

Once done, transfer to cooling rack.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar immediately so that it begins to crystallize from the heat of the muffins.

Let cool for ten minutes.  Enjoy!