Cranberry Muffins

Last week at Whole Foods I found a 2lb package of unsweetened dried cranberries (packaged at the store, not a brand or general bulk) at a great price, probably because it's in season. I figured that they'd be perfect for some holiday baking and even better that they are not full of added sugar! While browsing Tastespotting for cranberry recipes I ran across a recipe that looked delicious and fairly healthy. These do end up at 220 calories, 7g fat, 35g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 4g protein each, so I may look for more ways to cut some calories and fat out, but for a first try for taste - they're decadent! (and to note, they're still less than 1/2 the calories and fat you'll find in a typical Panera or Starbucks muffin). These make a good size muffin too!

Cranberry Muffins
makes 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 TB melted butter
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 TB ground flax seed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl whisk together the applesauce, oil, butter, sugar and egg
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, ground flax seed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir gently until just combined
5. Stir in the dried cranberries
6. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Divide batter into 12 muffins
7. Bake 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.