Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2  cups		white whole wheat flour
1-1/2  teaspoons		baking powder
1/2  teaspoon		salt
4  tablespoons		unsalted butter
1/2  cup		sugar
1/4  cup		unsweetened applesauce
2		large eggs
1/2  cup		plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk
2  teaspoons		vanilla extract
1  teaspoon		Zest of 1 lemon
1		juice of 1 lemon
2  cups		blueberries

Tip: For nutritional information on all the ingredients in Lemon Blueberry Muffins just click on each ingredient name. Then adjust the serving size for any Lemon Blueberry Muffins ingredient with the serving size tool in the nutrition facts area to the right to see how you can save calories, carbs and more.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir briefly to blend, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Whisk until evenly combined. Whisk in the applesauce, then the eggs one at a time. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon juice. Add half of the dry ingredients into the bowl with the egg mixture and whisk just until incorporated. Add in the buttermilk mixture and whisk again. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir gently just until evenly combined. Very gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and the coarse sugar (regular sugar is okay too). Sprinkle a bit of the sugar mixture on top of the batter in each liner.

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 24 minutes total. Let cool in the pan a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.