The secret to the sparkling flavor of these delicately crumbed muffins is the strips of lemon zest finely ground into the sugar. Enjoy the muffins warm right from the oven.

Lemon-Raspberry Muffins

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe Ingredients:

1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup nonfat buttermilk (see tip)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (see shopping tip)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.

Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

To Make Ahead: Wrap each in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Recipe Tips

--No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.

--Shopping tip: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole wheat. Whole-wheat pastry flour can be used as a substitute here. Both can be found in the natural-foods section of the supermarket or online from King Arthur Flour, bakerscatalogue.com.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 185 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrate; 8 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 245 mg sodium; 47 mg potassium.

2 Carbohydrate Serving(s)

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 1 1/2 fat

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)