Skinny White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
These Skinny White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins are tasty, indulgent and good for your waist line. They are everything you should be having for breakfast.
Before we start with these skinny white chocolate cranberry muffins, I need to confess. We are all friends here right? This is a no judgement zone. After all, we share our deepest love of chocolate, chocolate peanut butter cake and salted caramel here. So don’t judge me when I tell you I believe in silly superstitions. Yes, I am the first one to tell you they are silly but I just can’t help myself because they are so ingrained in me. It’s the African in me I suppose and we have a million superstitions that just stick with you for the rest of your life. Seriously.
You can’t sweep at night otherwise you sweep away all your good luck. (I don’t risk it, EVER). You shouldn’t place your hand bag on the floor because you will be eternally broke. I make this mistake once in a while and probably explains my constant lack of funds (or could that just be my Pier 1 addiction? It’s hard to tell). You should never speak out loud your goals for fear they might not be achieved. Again I try to keep good with this. But see even though I think they are silly, a few of these remain with me that I practice/ avoid doing since I don’t want to find out whether the consequences are true or not.
A week ago on Monday, as I walked out of my apartment building, the first thing I saw was a black crow. I stopped in panic. Black crows are just a bad omen. They say (by they, I mean folks that come up with these rules and superstitions) seeing black crows early in the morning is a sign of death. Morbid I know. Especially for a Monday morning. Of course that did not make getting into my car and driving to work especially easy and less terrifying.
Luckily, I have heard no bad news to that effect (knock on wood) but my Monday was horrible in lab and that cloud has been over my head all week long. Everything just seemed to go wrong and get worse. It will pass I know but I just still can’t coincide my religious faith and scientific mind with these superstitions. Conflicted soul here. (Meanwhile, my husband thinks I’m crazy but what’s new?)
Anyways, one thing I am not conflicted or confused about are these skinny white chocolate cranberry muffins. I’ve been craving a new muffin recipe lately and since we are all in the mood for lighter sweets these day, I decided to go for something ‘skinny’ but indulgent to make any morning cheerful.
I used white whole wheat flour in these muffins as I did in this banana coconut bread last week. I don’t know why it took me so long to discover this flour, but it makes for a hearty healthier substitute to all-purpose flour. The muffins are moistened with homemade applesauce and greek yogurt and sweetened with maple syrup. The tartness of juicy fresh cranberries are balanced with the sweetness of creamy white chocolate chips!! Pure indulgence and they say chocolate are anti-oxidants so they are healthy right?
Skinny White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
These Skinny White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins are tasty, indulgent and good for your waist line. They are everything you should be having for breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup maple syrup (or agave)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup almond milk, room temperature
- zest of 1 orange
- 1½ cup cranberries
- ½ cup white chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tins and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup and brown sugar until sugar is smooth. Add in yogurt, applesauce, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and gently mix until combined. Slowly add the milk and mix until mixture is thin. Fold in orange zest, cranberries, and white chocolate chips.
- Divide batter into prepared tins. Bake until lightly brown and a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let muffins cool completely.
Was wondering what the calories are for these
Peggy, sorry I didn’t calculate the calories. However, the recipe makes 15 regular sized muffins. You should be able to calculate it easily using any caloric counter tool.
Given how often my experiments in lab suck…I’m pretty sure you’d be convinced I do bad luck things constantly!! I’m sure it will all blow over though…it always does.
I love a good skinny treat! And white chocolate and cranberry are a match made in heaven.
These sound so great! White chocolate, cranberry, and lightened up? I think I need these in my life! Love baking with white whole wheat flour…I swear my boyfriend never knows the difference. 🙂
I’m muffin crazy right now so glad to see you’re baking these beauties! Love the color and flavor!
These are gorgeous! Definitely nothing superstitious or silly about a muffin that is skinny and looks amazing!!! You rocked these photos!
Thanks Jocelyn!!
I have never heard the sweeping superstition before but I’m glad I know it now–one more reason not to sweep 🙂 These look SO good, especially the white chocolate. I feel all sorts of flowery things about white chocolate. I bet these are divine cut with the tart cranberries. Can’t wait to try these guys out!
Thanks Amy!! Now you have one less time to sweep lol
Love anything that is skinny and has chocolate in it! 🙂
I think I’m more OCD then superscitious. I can remember when playing volleyball in college, I use to bounce the ball 3 times before I would serve but when counting I would say “6,7,8” in my head. Don’t ask me why, but if I didnt do it it would mess me up. Well all have our quirks, thats what makes life so fun and interesting. 🙂
Love this recipe, yet again girl. You have been craving breakfast muffins and bread now! Ugh… just 2 more weeks then I can make all your recipes again. Holding out till them.. pinning to make later!
Krista that’s so interesting. Counting 3 times? It’s a cute quirk indeed. Hang in there on the diet…2 weeks is going to be over before you know it. And keep sharing those recipes. My best friend keeps texting me about the hour she spent on your recipe index lol! (Oh she is so happy her name is similar to yours..Trista). She is very excited to change her diet and you just fueled that flame.
Wow these muffins look sooooo good and so very pretty…I’m loving the little flecks of red and white!
Eh, I gotta say I’m not superstitious in any way what so ever. Everyone in my family is though..so I feel like the oddball most times rather than the other way around. When I take walks, there is a street that I turn on that usually has crows at the top of the tree at the corner. I think it is kinda wickedly beautiful between the leaves and the sunset…I love to write dark fantasy so maybe that’s why I see the mystique and charm of it than the creepiness.
Anyway. Try not to let it bother you…think about the positive especially when things like that happen. It’s all about keeping a positive state of mind.
Again, perfect morning muffins..I will definitely be pinning.
Toodles,
Tammy<3
Thanks Tammy!! Everyone in my family is and I am kind of the least superstitious because I find most so silly. But I just don’t like crows. Ooo creep me out!
These are so gorgeous! AND they’re skinny? A++!
Thanks dear!
I am sorry about your cloud over you but Don’t worry Zainab, I think things will get better. I can be superstitious as well about some things, but it’s probably the Irish in me. I have weird things I do because of that too like throwing salt over my shoulder etc. We also have weird sayings in my family like if you drop a knife it means a man’s coming. Of course, that could be good or bad I suppose.
These muffins look amazing though! I love cranberry so this will be a must for me. Plus who doesn’t like skinny 🙂 Good luck with your week, you will be in my thoughts and prayers!!!
Ciara I had no idea that Irish’s also had some superstitions. Interesting!! Love the knife thing, I’ll keep it in mind. I hope you are having a great week 🙂
Those muffins look really good!