'Fat Free- Whole wheat -Triple Chocolate-Almond' Muffins

As I was writing a 'name' for these muffins....I realized they have the longest name ever!! LOL! But couldn't help putting all the 'good stuff' they have, in their good name and hence the name- "Fat Free"- Whole wheat -Triple Chocolate-Almond Muffins!!
They are made with Whole Wheat flour and Almond powder, have 'Applesauce' in them to act as moistener and binder and NO added fat i.e butter/oil!! The triple chocolate is- Cocoa powder,mini semi sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.The biggest 'hurray factor' for me.....E loved them...and had them with breakfast 2 days in a row:))
 By the way...did you know?? A store bought food, labeled 'fat free' is not necessarily fat free? It can have upto 0.5 gms of fat per serving! So if you eat more servings, the fat can add up. Also, if you are just looking at 'Number of calories' on the food label....KNOW this--
According to FDA regulations, calorie information on packages must be accurate with a margin of error of 20%. Which means you could be off by as much as 100 calories on a 500 calorie entree !!

Actually,last year, I tried a similar recipe-

"Fat free" and "Good for you" Chocolate-Banana-Walnut Muffins

http://www.my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2012/04/nutritious-and-delicious-healthy-and.html
But since,'M' hates bananas, I had to improvise the recipe and 'minus' the bananas in the recipe. But let me tell you, the bananas make the muffins really moist and yummy.So for all those who don't mind either the bananas or the egg in the recipe...go ahead and try out the above recipe!

**For a 'Banana less' and 'Eggless' version use this::
The biggest 'hurrray factor ' for me.....E loved them...and had them with breakfast 2 days in a row:))

Ingredients: Makes 12 muffins
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour
8 oz Applesauce( I used store bought- but homemade would be excellent!)
3/4th cup sugar
1/2 cup Powdered almonds
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4cup milk
2tsp Flax seed powder (Optional! It's just to give 'boost' in nutrition and a little more 'nutty' flavor)
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1tsp Vanilla essence
2-3 tsp water
few White chocolate chips
1/4tsp salt

Muffin liners(aluminum)
Non stick cooking spray

Method:
1) Pre heat the oven to 375F
2) Place muffin liners in muffin pan.Spray with non stick cooking spray.Since the muffins have no added fat,they will stick to the liner,therefore spray with non stick cooking spray and use aluminum liners.
3) Sieve together- whole wheat flour, baking powder,soda, cocoa powder,salt.
4) In a mixing bowl, mix apple sauce,vanilla and sugar.
5) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.Add the almond and flax seed powder.Add the milk and 2-3tsp water as needed to make batter.
6) Fold in the mini chocolate chips and mix gently.DO NOT OVERMIX!! Otherwise the muffins will be tough and chewy.
7) Pour into muffin liners till 3/4th full. Add few white chocolate chips

8) Bake at 375 for 17-20 mins.Till a toothpick inserted will come out clean.

Indulge into a Chocolaty and Nutty goodness with less guilt!!

"For Little Tummies"- Sweet Potato Cuppy Cakes

At 'E's pre-school,parents take turns to provide snacks for all the children.The school has certain guidelines for the snacks like...should include whole grains,protein, fruits etc.It's not a compulsion to stick to these guidelines....but be as close as possible.Every 15-20 days,it's my turn to provide the snacks.Last time,I provided some Indian snacks (small sized mix veggie parathas and mini idlis with carrots, and for fruit-watermelon) on the teachers suggestion.She said its good to introduce different tastes at this age and get to know different cultures.The kids did try the Indian food....but the 'garlic' 'cumin and other spices..were 'little' too different for them.

This time I decided to stick with what they are comfortable with. I baked a batch of 'Sweet Potato' muffins.It was the first time I tried these and I was happy with the outcome.

Because the sweet potato is naturally sweet, less sugar need to be added to the muffin batter . Also, the sweet potato released all the juices while baking and the made the muffins nice and moist from within.While the crust was caramelized because of the brown sugar.

I also added some 'Ricotta' cheese to the batter (I see Giada, on Food Network, add that to many of her cake recipes).

I did not use 'Whole wheat' flour though....firstly I still haven't mastered baking with 'whole wheat flour' and secondly I did not want to mess up the recipe.

So "E' and his friends are going to have Sweet Potato cuppy cakes, Cheddar cheese and grapes for tomorrows snack! Anyone wants to join'em?

Ingredients:

•6 tablespoons butter, softened
•2/3 cup sugar
•2 eggs
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2/3 cup evaporated or regular milk
•1 1/2 cups peeled finely shredded sweet potato
•2/3 cup sliced almonds /walnuts/pecans
•1tbsp Ricotta cheese
•1tbsp light brown sugar
•1 tsp light brown sugar for sparkling on top
•Sliced almonds for decoration

Method:
1)In a large mixing bowl with hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar(both white and light brown) until light and fluffy.
2)Beat in egg,Ricotta cheese and vanilla until well blended.
3)In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture alternately with milk, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
4)Stir in sweet potato and chopped nuts.
5)Spoon batter into greased muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle some sliced almonds and light brown sugar.
6)Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until centers spring back when pressed with fingertip.
7)Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and serve muffins warm. Makes about 16 sweet potato muffins.

Glaze:
I glazed some of the muffins with 'simple' glaze and they tasted delicious.
Add 1tsp melted butter + 2tbsp powdered sugar+few drops of water.Mix well.Drizzle on the cooled muffins and let dry.
Enjoy the sweet, moist and tender muffins with occasional crunch of the almonds!