Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

These lemony cranberry-studded muffins crunch lightly with cornmeal and are topped with a kiss of sugared lemon zest. They’re great warm from the oven, but also keep well for a few days and freeze beautifully.
Servings: 1 dozen muffins
Total Time: 1 hour
Ease of Preparation: Easy
Health: Healthy Weight, Heart Healthy, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Low Sat Fat, High Fiber, Low Calorie


Ingredients:

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar , divided
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest , divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour (see Note)
1/2 cup cornmeal , preferably medium or fine stone-ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cranberries , fresh or frozen (thawed), coarsely chopped (see Tip)


Steps:
1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2: Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, yogurt, oil, egg, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium bowl.
3: Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in cranberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining l teaspoon lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins.
4: Bake the muffins until golden brown and they spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.


Nutrition: (Per muffin)

Calories - 187
Carbohydrates - 29
Fat - 7
Saturated Fat - 1
Monounsaturated Fat - 4
Protein - 4
Cholesterol - 18
Dietary Fiber - 3
Potassium - 96
Sodium - 254
Individually wrap in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat frozen muffins, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds. | Equipment: Muffin tin with 12 (1/2-cup) cups
Note: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.Tip: To make quick work of chopping cranberries, place whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped