I love a good pastry for breakfast–a danish, a scone and especially a fluffy muffin. The problem is that most of the muffins sold at bakeries and coffee shops are laden with butter and sugar. After one of those for breakfast, I am lethargic and hungry by 10 a.m.

A few months of recipe-testing took me to these treats, which I think is the perfect comprise between taste and health. They are sweet, moist and wholesome like a Girl Scout.

The proportions of ingredients in this recipe aren’t very different from a regular muffin, but I substituted the conventional ingredients with some healthy alternatives. I used whole wheat pastry flour rather than refined all purpose flour. Whole wheat pastry flour, which is pretty common in the baking aisle of grocery stores now, keeps the muffins nice and tender. I cut down the amount fat in the recipe, making up the difference with mashed bananas and applesauce.

These muffins have a nutty taste from the whole wheat flour. They are also delicately sweetened by the applesauce and bananas. I like adding blueberries because they are slightly sour and hold up well in baking. You can use frozen strawberries and raspberries (fresh ones will sink and flatten the muffin top) instead. You can also add a handful of chopped walnuts.

These muffins freeze really well. Bake them, let them cool completely and freeze in a Ziplock bag for up to a month. I like to make a big batch and heat one up in the microwave for a quick breakfast. Sure, they don’t have the strudel topping and the buttery taste of the bakery versions, but they are equally delicious and definitely a lot better for me.