Low-fat Cranberry Oat Muffins

These muffins use lowfat buttermilk, whole wheat flour, and minimal oil and were wonderfully moist and light.  The original recipe is from cooking light and was adapted by the blog The Sweets Life.  Here I used fresh cranberries, which are plentiful this time of year and cheap, but frozen would work just as well.  According to the website, these guys have only 200 calories!   Which means you can eat more than one, right?

Ingredients:
(makes 16 regular muffins or 12 regular and 12 small)

-1 2/3 cups old-fashioned oats
-2/3 cup (3 oz.) all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup (2.33 oz.) whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
-1/4 cup canola oil
-2 tsp grated lemon rind
-2 large eggs
-2 cups frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
-cooking spray

optional: granulated sugar for topping 

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat muffin tins with cooking spray. 

2.  In medium bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk to combine.

3.  In a small bowl, combine lemon rind, oil, buttermilk and eggs

4.  Add liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine

5.  Coarsely chop fresh (or frozen) cranberries and add to the batter.  Gently fold cranberries into batter.

6.  Spoon batter into muffin tins.  

7.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes for regular muffins (12-15 minutes for small muffins) until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.  Sprinkle with sugar if using.

8.  Remove from tins and cool on racks.

Enjoy!