In Search Of Low-Fat Muffins Is It Possible To Create A Tasty - And Healthy - Morning Treat?

OK, so I’m an optimist. Sell me the Brooklyn Bridge. Introduce me to the tooth fairy. I’ll bite.

Just don’t tell me that low-fat muffins taste every bit as good as full-fat ones.

So many times, I’ve read the cookbooks, scanned the magazines, and believed.

“You won’t miss the fat!”

‘The dieter’s best friend!”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I’ll be able to wear size 8 jeans someday. In a pig’s eye.

I first encountered the myth of the low-fat muffin about four years ago. A health-obsessed co-worker insisted you could replace the fat with applesauce and get a dandy muffin. I bit. And learned: Human teeth aren’t meant to chew solid rubber. Basketballs don’t bounce as high as those muffins.

But I didn’t give up. Like a siren luring sailors to the rocks, the recipes beckoned with delicious promises … and disastrous results. Muffins so tough they gave me indigestion. Or so gummy they stretched when I bit into them.

Still, did I give up? Of course not. I gathered my courage and set out on a muffin marathon.

First, I called Shirley Corriher for advice. A cooking teacher and consultant in Atlanta, Corriher is also a former research biologist who is a whiz at explaining why food works - and why it doesn’t.

So what’s the trouble with these muffins?

“Normally, the trouble is too much egg white, not too little fat,” Corriher explained.

Fat does two things, Corriher told me. First, it coats the proteins in flour and keeps them from hooking together to form gluten. Gluten is the elastic substance that lets bread rise, but it is also what makes pie crusts, cakes and muffins tough. The fat in those recipes keeps too much gluten from forming. Take away the fat and you need another tenderizer.

“Sugar is ideal,” said Corriher. But sugar on its own packs a lot of empty calories. So you need a source of sugar that gives you something else. Enter: fruit purees. After all, fruit is basically sugar, water, fiber and vitamins.

The second thing fat does is trap air bubbles. Most of us think baking powder and soda bubble up in a batter, creating the air pockets that make cakes and other baked goods rise. Wrong, said Corriher; they enlarge bubbles, but they don’t put them there.

When you cream fat, such as butter, you whip bubbles into it. Then the baking soda or powder inflates those bubbles like balloons during baking. Without fat, you need something thick and viscous to hold the air bubbles until they can be inflated. Egg whites do that, but they don’t tenderize. Fruit purees, on the other hand, can do both.

Of course, Corriher said, fat does something else in your mouth: It carries and releases flavor. So when you’re looking for a low-fat recipe, look for one that replaces fat with very flavorful ingredients so you don’t miss it.

Armed with that knowledge and a hopeful heart, I waded into the kitchen with eight recipes that sounded promising.

Two came close to living up to their promises: a rich chocolate muffin that used prune puree, and a light lemon muffin that got its lift from an unusual mixture of yogurt foamed up with baking soda.

Two more were above average: a little tough, but with good enough flavor to make them worthwhile.

Two were disappointing: tough and without enough flavor to overcome it.

And two were downright awful: gummy and unpleasant.

Can you make a low-fat muffin that tastes just like the real thing? Sorry, I don’t think so. But can you make a palatable low-fat muffin? Yes, you can - if you choose your recipes wisely.

Lemon-Ginger Muffins

From “Heart Smart Cookbook,” by the Detroit Free Press and the Henry Ford Heart and Vascular Institute (Andrews and McMeel). These were the best of the bunch - light and flavorful with a delicate, lemony color and more tender than most.

Vegetable cooking spray or paper baking cups

1/3 cup stick margarine, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 egg whites or 1/2 cup egg substitute

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin tins with cooking spray or line with baking cups.

In large bowl, beat margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg whites, one at a time, or egg substitute. Add gingerroot and lemon peel.

In separate bowl, add baking soda to yogurt and stir; mixture will bubble. Using a rubber spatula, fold flour into margarine mixture at a time, alternating with yogurt mixture and beginning and ending with flour.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition information per muffin: 188 calories, 4 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat (24 percent fat calories), 1 milligram cholesterol, 152 milligrams sodium.

Choco-Lites

From “Muffin Magic … and More,” by Kathleen Mayes (Woodbridge Press). These muffins have a rich, deep chocolate flavor, they rise into nicely rounded tops and the texture is chewy but light. If you’ve never worked with a fruit puree, this muffin is worth giving it a try.

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large egg whites

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup prune puree (see note)

3/4 cup water

Position rack in center of oven; heat oven to 350. Coat 12 muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.

In 2-1/2-quart mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to blend well and make a well in center.

In separate bowl, whisk egg whites with vanilla extract, prune puree and water. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until blended, careful not to overmix. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.

Bake 25 minutes or until a test toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition information per muffin: 132 calories, 3 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fat (7 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 173 milligrams sodium.

Note: To make 1 cup of prune puree, in the container of a food processor, combine 1-1/3 cups dried pitted prunes, 6 tablespoons hot water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pulse on and off until fruit is finely chopped. Cool before using.

Honey Wheat Muffins

From “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book” (Bantam Books). These fall into the not-bad-at-all category. The honey and lemon give the muffin a delicate flavor and the consistency is firm but not too tough.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper baking cups.

In mixing bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, combine beaten egg, milk, honey, oil and lemon peel. Add egg mixture all at once into well in dry mixture. Stir just until all the flour is moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove muffins from pans; serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Nutrition information per muffin: 150 calories, 3 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat (30 percent fat calories), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 107 milligrams sodium.

Date-Nut Muffins

From “Cajun Healthy,” by Jude Theriot (Pelican Publisher). These are a little tough, but the dates and pecans give them a good flavor and help them feel like a treat instead of a penance.

Vegetable oil and flour spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup no-fat, no-cholesterol egg substitute

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 425. Coat 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and flour spray (or spray with nonstick cooking spray and dust lightly with flour).

In large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt until well mixed. Stir in dates and pecans to coat them well with flour.

In small bowl, combine egg substitute, skim milk, applesauce and vanilla until well blended. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moist; do not overmix.

Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Let cool briefly and remove from tins. Serve warm.

Yield: 10 muffins.

Nutrition information per muffin: 200 calories, 5 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fat (5 percent fat calories), 1 milligram cholesterol, 248 milligrams sodium.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MAKING THE BEST MUFFINS Remember these tips for making the best batches of muffins: Never overmix. That causes peaked tops and tough texture. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened, 15 or 20 light strokes with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. There should still be some lumps. Use shiny pans, which reflect heat and produce a tender crust. When greasing muffin pans, grease only the bottoms. If the recipe doesn’t make enough batter to fill the whole pan, fill empty cups with a little water to keep the heat distributed evenly. After baking, let muffins cool a few minutes in the pan unless directed otherwise in the recipe. Steam that condenses while they stand makes muffins easier to remove. If they stick, run a small knife or spatula around them to loosen. -Kathleen Purvis Charlotte Observer