2 Tbls trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, melted
Batter
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup nonfat (skim) milk
½ cup butternut squash or carrot puree
½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
To make the topping, stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the margarine.
To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not over mix-the batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18-20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and serve warm or cool.
*I did not use the topping when I first made these. My girls are still young and have just a few teeth, which I think would make eating crunchy muffins difficult. I used store bought applesauce and carrot puree from the baby food aisle. I also used whole milk rather than skim because that is what my girls drink since I am not concerned with calories at this point. The muffins were great and very tasty. I froze some muffins for a month and took one out when I needed it.
