Almost Easter Muffins

Another cross post, another one I actually took a picture of before figuring out that muffin liner=bad :)
I made these muffins for a treat, though they really weren't much work at all. The can be mixed with whatever berry type fruit you have floating around in your kitchen or in your freezer. The lemony body of the muffin is the perfect foil to the jammy pockets of fruit that result from the berries cooking in the oven--you don't even need to butter these to enjoy them. As breakfast pastries go, these are lower in fat than most using just two eggs or tofu and no butter or oil so enjoy without guilt.

If you don't already have a mini food processor in your kitchen it might be time to consider one. It makes the tofu version of this recipe a snap since all the liquids can be mixed together right in the processor bowl and cleans up very quickly due to its smaller size. I have one from cuisinart that I found in a thrift shop for $3, but I've seen them on sale for $20 or so fairly often. If you like having fresh pesto or making smaller batches of salsa or just don't like having to put together a huge machine to do a little job it might be the right appliance for you.

Lemon Berry Muffins

Ingredients:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs OR 1/2 cup warm water mixed with 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
1 cup yogurt OR 6 oz silken tofu, blended smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 c diced strawberries, cherries or other berries (frozen is fine)
cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients except zest in a bowl and set aside. If using eggs and yogurt mix all wet ingredients and zest together in a separate mixing bowl and stir in sugar until all is combined and there are no large lumps of brown sugar left. If using tofu and flax you can blend the tofu and wet ingredients together in a small food processor or blender until smooth, then scrape into a mixing bowl with the sugar and stir to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Fold in berries until evenly distributed. Prepare muffin tins and fill cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and tops are light golden brown. Remove from tins and cool on a rack.

Notes:
-If using the tofu/flax option when making these muffins I highly recommend either greasing the bare tin or using silicone pans as the batter really likes to stick to the paper liners. If opting for the traditional eggs and yogurt paper liners should be fine, but the reusable silicone cups are adorable if you happen to have them floating around.
-You can use dried berries for this recipe, but plump them a bit in some warm water first so you don't get hard bits of fruit when you bite into your muffins.