Where is my head?? I live with obsessive cinnamon-shakers. Fanatic chocolate chip eaters. Muffin maniacs. How did I not think of this combo before? The pieces of the puzzle were all there.. I’m just not very good at puzzles. 
Welcome to my latest installment of Mad Muffin Mania –this time with a healthy fat-lowering twist. Vanilla yogurt! It replaces all the oil in this recipe, and makes for moist, dense, and yummy muffins perfect for washing down with a cold glass of milk.
As with all my muffins, I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour, which gives you a good dose of fiber without making the muffins heavy. I wouldn’t recommend substituting with all whole wheat flour or you’ll have a much less tender muffin.
Ooh, we definitely did not skimp on the cinnamon here. And there’s plenty of chocolate chips to go around. PLUS a sweet cinnamon streusel on top. A yummy muffin top that won’t create a muffin top? SPECTACULAR!
Go ahead. Make your own day. Yum yum and yum.
Lowfat Cinnamon Chip Streusel Muffins
Makes 18 large muffins
1 -3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups nonfat milk
1/2 cup lowfat or nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 egg whites
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Streusel topping
1 tablespoon butter, chilled
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans with spray oil.
1) Combine first six ingredients (flours through salt) in a large mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly with a fork. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, yogurt, and egg whites. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overmix. Carefully fold in the chocolate chips.
2) Prepare streusel topping. You can either put all four ingredients in food processor and pulse until crumbly. Or, you can simply combine the ingredients with your fingers, pressing and mixing with your fingertips until it is crumbly.
3) Fill each muffin cup almost full (about 5/6 full). Sprinkle a teaspoon or so of the streusel topping over each muffin. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Tops should be springy to touch, or a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Registered dietitian. Foodie. Mother of three. Wife. Coach and teammate. Scrapbooker. How to balance it all? I'm learning how to juggle. Check out my blog for family-approved healthy recipes, the occasional treat, and a little nutrition on the side. And maybe a laugh or two :)
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What do you think about subbing white whole wheat flour for the whole amount of flour? Or would that still have the tenderness issue?
Great question. I did some quick research on white whole wheat at the wholegrainscouncil (dot) org website. Essentially an “albino” whole wheat flour, and truly a whole grain, it does have a milder taste and lighter texture than regular whole wheat. I’m going to predict that it will still be a heavier muffin than the flour combo I recommend here, but not nearly as heavy as a muffin made with regular whole wheat flour. If you try it out, let me know!
Made these this morning and the family loved them! Do you know if they freeze well?
Yes, I think they will freeze ok, as most quick breads do. But I haven’t tried freezing this particular muffin myself. Wrap them tight so they don’t dry out.
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