Blueberry muffins

“After having tried and failed to healthify a shortcake recipe, these muffins were extremely easy to make. They require almost no cleanup, which made my mom happy, and tasted good, too (something my shortcake recipe severely lacked). They may not be the prettiest things to look at, but my belly was happy and I could eat more than one without feeling too gluttonous. I think my second attempt was a success for all those healthy eaters out there—you can have flavor with few calories and fat!” —Alana Folsom

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup nonfat milk or soy milk (either works)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of any berry you have on hand (I used blueberries, strawberries, and dried cranberries) 



Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 375º.

2 Grease muffin cups in a muffin pan or use paper muffin liners.

3 Mix wheat bran and milk in a bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.



4 Except for the fruit, dump all the ingredients, including the bran and milk mixture, into a large mixing bowl and stir until just combined; stir in fruit.

5 Spoon mixture into muffin cups. (The muffins rise in the oven, so don’t overfill the muffin cup.)



6 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Taste-testers said:
"Rocks my socks!" Crystal Hua, 17, Gabrielino HS

"I like that you can actually taste the berries." Jisu Yoo, 15, Glendale HS