Difficulty | Makes 12 | Book 4

Method
Preheat oven 180ºC fan forced.
- Chop cherry ripe bar into small pieces. Cut cherries in half.
- Beat egg whites and sugar for 1 minute in a medium sized mixing bowl using an electric beater.
- Stir bicarb soda into apple sauce (it will froth) then add to bowl.
- Combine Milk with melted margarine and add to bowl and combine.
- Add chopped cherry ripe, cherries, milk and coconut essence and combine.
- Fold sifted flour into mixture in one go, treat as if it is a sponge. DO NOT BEAT, as this will make the muffins tough. The less the mixture is moved, the lighter the muffins will be.
- Spoon equal amounts of mixture into a 12 cup muffin tray that has been coated with cooking spray.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until firm to touch in centre. Leave to rest for a few minutes then place onto a wire rack to cool.
Variation: To make chocolate cherry muffins add ¼ cup sifted cocoa (Plaistowe®) and 3 tablespoons extra skim milk.
Suitable to be frozen.
Having trouble finding Coconut Essence? It’s available HERE on my website.
Dietitian's tip
Incorporating fruit into muffins increases the nutritional value. The high carbohydrate load of this recipe may make it unsuitable for many people with diabetes.