Spiced Yogurt Muffins

It always bugged me that spice cake and gingerbread are always considered ‘holiday foods’ or ‘seasonal favorites.’ The end of the holidays always depress me because not only do the lights and decorations come down and get packed away for next season, but it is no longer socially acceptable to crave these foods. My substitutions of late are Starbuck’s Chewy Molasses Cookies. While I love these cookies, I have read the nutrition labels, and that is usually what deters me from purchasing one. Sure, I could make molasses cookies or gingersnaps, but I wanted to find a way to satisfy my spice cake cravings with a more ‘seasonally acceptable’ food for springtime.

As luck would have it, I had plain yogurt in my refrigerator on the brink of expiration, which of course meant I started looking for recipes using this as an ingredient. I found this muffin and was immediately drawn to the use of classic gingerbread spices in a non-molasses base. These are packed with a wonderful spice flavor yet won’t be confused with your holiday favorites. These muffins are very light and airy, not heavy or dense like gingerbread, so I feel perfectly content eating these in the beginning of May. And yes, those are muffin tops in that picture! I love my muffin top pan.

Even better? According to the source, each muffin contains only 140 calories and 3g of fat. A great treat for those still trying to keep up with their resolutions! Warm from the oven, they were a little difficult to get out of the wrappers, but they were so delicious warm. Once they cooled to room temperature, the wrappers were a lot easier to remove. Muffins are best kept at room temperature for a few days, else frozen after they were made. Spiced Yogurt Muffins
From:Novemeber 2008 issue of Food & Wine

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plain low-fat yogurt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 18 muffin cups with paper or foil liners. Lightly spray the liners with vegetable oil spray or use muffin liner papers.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon of the nutmeg and pulse to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, butter, applesauce and vanilla. Fold the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg over the muffins. Bake for 18 minutes, until the muffins are springy; let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12-18 muffins.