Uncompromising Apple Muffins

Let me start out by saying, I am not a fan of lowfat/low calorie baking. Unlike savory foods where you can just pick recipes that, just by their nature, lean toward the lighter side, baked goods require substitutions for the fat and the sugar that make them taste good and have a tender crumb. Lowfat/low cal baked goods always seem to have a "compromised" flavor and rubbery texture. Why bother? I just prefer the real thing. Perhaps a smaller portion or less frequently, but real butter, please. But this recipe has really made me call that principle into question because these Apple Muffins are one of those recipes that substitutes applesauce for butter and includes whole wheat flour to increase nutritional value. And yet, these taste great. They're from my new favorite cookbook author and Food Network show host, Ellie Krieger and her cookbook The Food you Crave. We had these for breakfast Easter morning. They use half whole wheat flour and half regular unbleached white flour. And there is only 1/4 cup of canola oil in the whole recipe; but you get 12 generous, full-size delicious muffins. The muffins are studded with small apple chunks and have a cinnamon, brown sugar, pecan topping.