Low-Fat Raspberry-Corn Muffins

We hosted Easter this year, as usual, which was a brunch buffet type deal for my family and some relatives. Nothing huge. So in searching of a carb option and in light of eating healthier, (especially during a brunch buffet) I found this muffin recipe in my Food Network Magazine and was immediately interested. They actually turned out very good and only have 5g of fat. This is 12g less than the average corn muffin. And if you talk to my dad, cutting grams of fat is very important so I knew he would like these! (And he ate two.)

You will need:
• Cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• ½ cup apricot nectar
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 4 large egg whites
• 2 cups frozen raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 2 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners or 6-inch squares of parchment paper and mist with cooking spray. (Use parchment paper if you want a more domed muffin; the batter will cling to the paper as it rises.)

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.


In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, apricot nectar, grapeseed oil, vanilla extract and orange zest until combined.


Note: Grapeseed Oil is neutral-flavored, vitamin E-rich oil used in place of butter. It is a lot healthier than olive oil and has a very high boiling point making it good for sautéing.


Beat the egg whites and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.

Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just moistened.


Gently fold in the egg-white mixture until almost combined, then fold in the raspberries; do not over mix.





Divide the batter among the prepared cups (an ice cream scoop works well). Bake until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a rack.


The recipe states it makes only 12 muffins but that is completely incorrect. I filled 24 cups and still had leftover batter. If you only want 12, I suggest cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise if you make the whole batch you could try pouring half the batter in a 9x9 square or perhaps a bread pan on top of the 12 muffins.


If you are looking for a healthier alternative for breakfast, these muffins are a good choice. Especially warmed up with a tiny bit of butter, the healthy kind of course!