A Case for the Blues (low carb, sugar-free blueberry muffins)

Unlike the world at large, I’m not uber crazy about blueberries. Sure, they’re sweet and adorably tiny, but put them next to a black or raspberry, and I’d drop those blues faster than Jake G dropped Taylor (you’ll find love one day, Taylor).

Blueberry muffins, however, are a culinary delight. Actually, the word “culinary” is too strong, because I’m a BIG (and I emphasize big) fan of those el cheapo grocery/gas station packaged muffins – yes, the ones so bad for you they may as well be made of partially-hydrogenated babies and endangered wolverines. 

I could positively melt in front of the Costco muffin section.

In high school, I’d get a giant blueberry muffin (Costco style) in the cafeteria and then have it with a cup of Yoplait in the name of good health. (I was blissfully ignorant then that those babies are upwards of 700 calories each.)

Perhaps it’s no large wonder I was overweight.

Then I discovered these delicious Eat-Rite blueberry muffins at a local low-carb store and I’m pretty sure I found religion with those.  But upon further research, I found wide-spread skepticism on the actual ingredients and calorie count of Eat-Rite’s delectable foods (pretty sure I gained 5 pounds with their so-called 200 calorie pizzas). So I decided I needed to take blueberry muffins into my own hands.

These little guys turned out beautifully. Even RP took a bite and came back for more. And with about 90 calories and less than 4 grams of carbs each, these puppies are a delicious way to consumer 7 grams of protein.

Indulging without engorging? I’ll take another.  

1 ½ cups Atkins Bake Mix (or low-carb bake mix of your choice)

1 cup wheat bran

½ cup ground flaxseed

1 cup erythritol

1 ½ tbsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup sugar-free da Vinci vanilla syrup

2 tbsp applesauce

1 ½ tsp lemon extract

2 cups fresh blueberries

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl (I like to keep things simple). Stir wet into dry until just moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into 24 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

It makes a ginormous batch so, assuming you can't eat more than me (and few people can), I wrap these individually in plastic wrap and then pile them up in zip-locks to keep in the freezer. They thaw pretty quickly, so it's easy to stick one (or seven) into your lunch bag on your way to work for a delicious mid-morning/mid-afternoon/as-soon-as-you-get-in-your-car snack.