Cooking Done Light

No – I’m not talking about “Christmas in July” – I’m referring to these fantastic Very Berry Summer Spice Muffins!! What better way to make use of all of those gorgeous ripe summer berries than to bake them all together into one ultimate berry muffin!

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups skim milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups fresh, ripe summer berries (I use a combination of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chopped strawberries and chopped red cherries with the pits removed)

For the crumb topping:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and allspice

1/8 teaspoon each nutmeg and dried ground ginger

For the topping: Mix the light brown sugar, flour pecans and spices together in a small bowl and set aside

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and generously spray a 6-cup jumbo (or 12-cup regular sized) muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix the flours, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, flax, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk and lemon juice; stir until just moistened, then fold in the berries.

Spoon the batter evenly into the well-greased muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the pecan mixture, and using just the tips of your fingers, press it down lightly into the batter. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 5 – 10 minutes before removing from the pan. (these are GREAT while still warm!)

Makes 6 jumbo (or 12 regular) muffins. Per jumbo muffin: 248 calories, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 28 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 4 g protein, 109 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol.