Skinny Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I know, I know - even if it feels like April outside, it's still February, and I should be baking pumpkin pie and maple bread pudding and warm and cozy apple crisp. But I saw a picture of blueberry lemon bread the other day on the cover of a magazine - all bright and colorful and delicious - and thought, why not? I bought a small container of blueberries on my way home from work and tossed these muffins together before I even had a chance to kick off my flats and change out of my work clothes. I chose muffins because I'm always a fan of forced portion control (ok fine, I might have had two, but it's still better than an entire loaf), but this recipe works just as well for a bread.

The muffins came out perfectly: incredibly light, lemony and just sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. They'd be perfect to have with coffee in the morning, or as a little something sweet before bed. They're healthy and easy to make - so forget about February and try them! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
Sprinkle of salt
2 tsp dried lemon peel
5 tbsp butter, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (I used egg beaters)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup skim milk (I used almond milk)
1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in eggs, vanilla and milk.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon peel.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just combined.
Stir in blueberries.
Distribute batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until just beginning to brown on top. Let cool in muffin tray at least 2 or 3 minutes before popping muffins out onto a cooling rack.

*Can also be made as a bread, using a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan

12 muffins