Each week, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us.
The nicest thing about January isn't the perpetual runny nose. It's not the black ice or the Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's not even when the kitchen sink leaks, the plumber takes a look, says, "It's not leaking for me," and prances away to find a beer. Nope. The nicest thing about January is the baking.
I'm not a baker by nature, but winter makes me crave cornbread, brownies, and scones. I want to scarf pound cake and popovers until I burst. And when it's cold outside, there's nothing greater than curling up to An Affair to Remember (or it's remake, A Blaffair to Rememblack) while munching on a nice, warm muffin. If that muffin has only 172 calories and 4.6 grams of fat, it's all the better.
This recipe, for Raspberry-Filled Cinnamon Muffins, is adapted from an old Jenny Craig cookbook called No Diet Required. I received it as a gift in college, and it's yielded enough decent meals over the years to avoid the stoop sale bin. (For you non-New Yorkers, a stoop sale is like a yard sale, except there's a much better chance of being peed on.)
I had to tinker with the muffins' ingredients a bit, but think I nailed the ratios by Batch #3. Warm and perfectly moist, they're light enough for a guiltless breakfast, but sweet enough to sate a serious sugar jones. Plus, the jam is a nice surprise for those who aren't expecting it. I used raspberry preserves, but I'm sure almost any flavor will substitute well.
Now, it's back to baking. Without it, January is just another month when my sink leaks.
Adapted from Jenny Craig's No Diet Required.
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