Mmm...muffins! Fast and healthy recipes

Muffins are a great choice for bakers with limited time. Throwing together a batch of muffins takes less than half an hour and doesn't require using every bowl and gadget in the kitchen.

You'll love the healthy choices in this collection of muffins. Each recipe features a tasty café-style combination of ingredients as well as a boost of fibre and other nutrients so that you can enjoy this popular snack guilt-free!

Muffins with the most
Whether you buy a muffin at the bakery or make it yourself, check out these tips for making healthier muffin choices.

• Because they often contain more sugar than regular versions, the calorie counts between light and regular muffins sold at most Canadian bakery chains can be quite similar (at one national chain a raisin bran muffin is 372 calories while the low-fat version is still 340 calories). So, unless you are counting the grams of fat you consume each day, you may not be gaining much by opting for the light version of your favourite muffin.
• While most muffin and other bakery chains offer nutritional information for their muffins, most analyses are based on a four ounce (125 g) muffin while the muffins for sale are usually 5 ounces (150 g) or larger. So the calories and fat you're getting in each muffin is about 30 per cent higher than the published figures and much more than you'll find in the muffin recipes here.
• If you count calories, remember that for a muffin to count as one serving, it should be the size of the muffins included in this story, about 3 to 4 ounces (90 to 125 g) each. That means each muffin should be slightly smaller than the size of a clenched hand.
• Easily eliminate unnecessary calories from fat by using paper muffin liners instead of butter or oil to grease muffin pans.
• Making high domed, lovely shaped muffins like the ones sold at the bakery is easier if you always mix muffins by hand. Stop stirring when the batter is combined but not until it is smooth. Signs of overmixing include irregular shaped tops, tough texture, and tunnels.
• Once blended, the batter should be divided between the muffin cups and baked without delay to ensure the muffins grow to be tall and the texture of the baked muffins is fluffy.

Nutrient boosters
Want more? Tailor your muffins by stirring in things that offer the nutrients you need most.
• Boost your calcium intake and fend off osteoporosis: figs, cheese, yogurt and buttermilk.
• Boost immunity with vitamin C boosters: cranberries, blueberries, orange juice (as a substitute for milk).
• Boost your fibre intake for overall health benefits: dried fruit (prunes, apricots, raisins, dates and apples), whole wheat flour, bran and oat bran.
• Boost your heart health by getting more omega-3 fatty acids: use omega-3 enriched liquid eggs instead of eggs in the shell.