Healthy Apple Spice Muffins

Made with healthy non-white sugar alternatives, brown rice syrup and sucanat as well as whole wheat flour, these muffins are a treat you can enjoy knowing you are eating nutritiously. The frosting is optional, but make it easy to serve these healthy little guys for breakfast *or* dessert. From Delicious Living Magazine, February 2004. Prep time includes time to make optional frosting.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 18
• Yields: 18 Muffins

Ingredients

• 1  cup  brown rice syrup
• 1⁄2 cup  sucanat
• 4  tablespoons canola oil
• 2  tablespoons  unsweetened apple juice
• 1⁄3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3  eggs
• 1 1⁄4 cups unbleached flour
• 1⁄3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  apple, diced
• 1⁄3 cup  chopped walnuts
• 1⁄3 cup raisins

• Frosting (optional)

• 4  tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4  ounces low-fat cream cheese
• 1  tablespoon  apple juice
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  cup date sugar or 1  cup  sucanat

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease or line muffin tins.
2. Blend together brown rice syrup, sucanat, oil, apple juice, yogurt, and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Mix in eggs, one at a time.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
6. Do not overmix.
7. Fold in diced apple, walnuts, and raisins.
8. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
9. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
10. Let cool in the tins for about 5 minutes to set then remove to a rack to cool completely.
11. If frosting, let muffins cool completely.
12. **FROSTING**Mix butter, cream cheese, and apple juice with an electric mixer on medium speed.
13. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon and date sugar/sucanat.
14. Gradually add sugar mixture to cream-cheese mixture, blending on medium speed until stiff.
15. Use about 1 tablespoon frosting per muffin.