4 Healthy Muffin Recipes Featuring Fall Produce Favorites

The flavors of fall are now appearing in your local farmer's markets and groceries. Make the most of this fresh produce with quick and easy-to-prepare muffins that will fill your home with scents of fruit and spice, and provide healthy, flavorful snacks for the whole family.

The following base recipe features whole wheat flour, 2% milk, and canola oil to bring down the calories and the fat while raising the fiber. Add in the flavor-filled freshness of the four variations of fall fruits and vegetables that follow and you have a choice of winning combinations to enjoy throughout the fall season. Use the basic formula to invent your own combinations, and you can enjoy delicious muffins with fresh seasonal flavor, year round.

Basic Healthy Muffin Base Recipe

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tbs granulated sugar
• 1tbs baking powder
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup 2% milk
• ¼ cup canola oil

1. Ensure oven rack is in center position and preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Lightly grease 12 each 2 ¾-inch muffin cups, using 1 tsp of canola oil (pour oil into one muffin cup and use a paper towel to spread the oil to bottoms and sides of remaining cups)
3. In a large bowl blend flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Wisk or sift well to ensure leavening agents are evenly distributed.
4. In medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, oil, and ingredients from the fruit/vegetable options below, until smooth.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and blend barely enough to moisten dry ingredients.
6. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups, ¾ to full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into muffin center comes out clean.
7. Cool in muffin pan on wire rack for 5-7 min. Serve warm or invert onto rack to cool completely. Run a flexible spatula around each muffin before turning out of pan to ensure smooth exit.

Sweet Potato & Banana Muffins

~Slightly sweet, smooth textured and mildly flavored.~

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato (Prick holes in 1 medium sweet potato skin with a fork, microwave on high approximately 8 minutes or bake at 350°F for one hour, test for doneness by pressing on skin, skin should indent easily. Let sit until cool, peel off skin, mash flesh and set aside for recipe)
• ¼ cup mashed banana
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves

Serving size = 1 muffin. Calories 162.4, Carbs 22.5g, Fat 6.7g, Protein 4.8g, Fiber 3.1g

Acorn Squash Muffins

~ Full flavored and moist. Great served with meal. ~

• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cooked acorn squash, mashed (Prick holes in 1 small acorn squash skin with a fork, microwave on high approximately 8 minutes or bake at 350°F for one hour, test for doneness by pressing on skin, skin should indent easily. Let sit until cool, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, then scoop and mash flesh and set aside for recipe)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp dried sweet basil

Serving size = 1 muffin. Calories 201.6, Carbs 20.5g, Fat 11.8g, Protein 5.5g, Fiber 2.4g

Pomegranate and Cherry Muffins

~ Surprising crunch with flavor burst of Pomegranate seeds and chewy tartness of cherries. If wish to swap quantities between cherries and pomegranate, use fresh cherries, frozen cherries that have been thawed, or add ¼ cup orange juice to make up for lost moisture. ~

• Seeds and juice of two pomegranates (1 cup)
• ¼ cup dried cherries
• 1 tsp orange extract
• ¼ tsp lemon rind (dried is fine)

Serving size = 1 muffin. Calories 172.4, Carbs 25.1g, Fat 6.8g, Protein 4.8g, Fiber 3.4g

Apple and Cranberry

~ Classic snack! ~

• 1 cup finely chopped apple (pick your favorite, tart or sweet)
• ¼ cup dried cranberry
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Serving size = 1 muffin. Calories 172.4, Carbs 25.1g, Fat 6.8g, Protein 4.8g, Fiber 3.4g