This recipe is for all those greek yogurt and/or cheese-makers out there. Well, really it’s for anybody, but one of the main ingredients is a by-product of draining yogurt for greek-style or yogurt cheese. You know that viscousy “water” that you sometimes find at the top of your yogurt after you’ve scooped some out? I never had a clue what it was, I just knew I didn’t like it so I would pour it off into the sink and go about the business of devouring my snack.

It wasn’t until I investigated making my own yogurt (Astonishingly Easy Homemade Yogurt) that I learned that this watery substance is actually whey. Yes, whey. As in “Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet” (now if only I could figure out what a tuffet is!). And when you make greek yogurt, you are, in essence, simply draining off most of the whey.

It was the good people at King Arthur Flour who alerted me to the fact that whey is healthy stuff…for most people. As a diabetic, I want to get rid of the whey, since that is where most of the lactose and carbs are. But it’s also where a lot of the calcium and potassium is, so it’s great stuff for little growing bodies! I’m pretty certain that I wouldn’t be able to get my kids to drink a glass of nice, cold whey. But my KAF obsession led me to discover this recipe. Talk about a symbiotic relationship. I drain the whey so my yogurt has less carbs, and my kids get extra nutrients baked into a tasty muffin!

I thought that the original recipe sounded a little plain and needed jazzing up with some fresh fruit. I also substituted some flax seed meal for the flour for added fiber, and put in butter instead of canola oil. I reduced the sugar by half, sprinkled in some cinnamon and voila! A healthy breakfast to start their day.

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The Results: Well, I had to taste a little bit of these so I could tell you firsthand how they turned out. The two bites I had of my son’s muffin were very good, and there is no sour taste from the whey at all. They were incredibly moist, and I think the addition of summer fruits made them sweet enough to reduce the sugar without noticeable effect. My son and my husband love them. My middle child turned up her nose simply because she’s three and a half, is ornery, and has decided she doesn’t like muffins “with anything in them” (eyeroll…if I’d put chocolate chips in them, I bet you she would have gobbled it up!). This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Blueberry Peach (and Whey) Muffins

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur, of course!)
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whey
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup peaches, chopped (no need to peel)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries*

Preheat oven to 425F and grease a muffin tin or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine whey, butter and eggs and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in fruit. Do not overmix.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups and bake 15-20 minutes or until the top is set and a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Serves 12.

*One tip about adding blueberries to cake and muffin recipes: to avoid having them all sink to the bottom of your batter and/or have them stain the batter so it’s all blue, toss them lightly with a tablespoon or two of flour before adding.