There’s something magical that happens when two flavours are combined: think sweet+salty, hot+sour… and tart+sweet. That’s what makes these muffins special. The tartness of the cranberries is balanced by the sweetness of the blueberries. And the lemon? I dunno, it just makes them perfect.

The other thing I love about these muffins is how much goodness is packed into them. They’re made with whole grain flour (hello fibre, potassium and B-vitamins), a generous amount of flax (for some good omega-3s… even more if you use omega-3 eggs), and milk of your choice for a calcium boost. Both cranberries and blueberries are antioxidant powerhouses, and are great sources of vitamin C (also an antioxidant, btw!).

Not a fan of dry, mealy whole wheat muffins? Me neither! There are a few tricks to make sure your whole grain muffins are moist every time:

Muffin Hacks

Measure carefully. Too much flour (or too little liquid) can make for a dry, dense muffin. Make sure you use the “scoop and level” method for your flour.
Mix the liquid and dry ingredients separately, before you combine them.
Pour the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients, and mix gently. Overmixing will make your muffins tough and might give them weird pointy tops with air tunnels inside.
If you’re adding nuts, fruit, chocolate chips or anything else, fold them in gently.
While you can replace some oil with applesauce, don’t replace all of it. The oil makes a big difference to the texture and even the colour of your muffins. I use canola or avocado oil because they have a good fat profile (more polyunsaturated fats) and they’re flavour neutral (I never use olive oil in baking).
Start with a hot oven (in this case 425 degrees F) and turn it down immediately (to 400 F) when you put the muffins in. This has to do with activating baking powder. Optional, but effective!
Avoid overbaking (obviously). The toothpick method works well (it shouldn’t be wet when you pull it out, but a few moist crumbs are okay). You can also lightly touch the top of the muffin, and it should spring back. Or if you’re my mom, you can just tell by the smell when they’re done…
Cool them in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container on the counter for a day or two, in the fridge for a few days, or in the freezer for several month (trust me – if you follow steps 1-7, they probably won’t make it as far as the freezer).

These Lemon Cranberry Blueberry muffins make a great snack or dessert, and because they’re not overly sweet, I love them along with a source of protein like eggs or yogurt for breakfast. My kids gobble them up in their school lunches or as an easy after school snack. I almost always have a container of muffins in the freezer for my sanity (it’s the small things).

Lemon Cranberry Blueberry Muffins

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Melinda Edmonds | Registered Dietitian

prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 16-20 minutes
total time: 30-35 minutes

Servings: 18

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
¾ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs (preferably omega-3)
1 cup milk of choice
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon canola or avocado oil
1 cup halved fresh (or frozen) cranberries
¾ cup blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, and line 18 muffin cups with paper or silicone liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flax seed, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, applesauce, lemon zest, lemon juice and oil until smooth.
Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just moistened. Fold in cranberries and blueberries.
Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full.
Place in preheated oven, and immediately turn the temperature down to 400 degrees F. Bake 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.