Spiced Whole Wheat Raisin Bran Muffins with Apple Walnut Struesel Topping (Low Fat)

I know these might sound slightly intricate and a tad complicated but believe me these muffins are easy to make and you definitely will not burn a hole in your pocket shopping for the ingredients. You can actually use your everyday Raisin Bran cereal as the main ingredient; now doesn't that sound interesting - Eating one of the most healthy cereals in the form of a gourmet muffin?  

When I first came across this recipe I knew this was right down my alley, making for the perfect, easy and healthy "Grab'n go weekday breakfast muffin" for the busy mornings. I did modify the recipe quite a bit though, substituting yogurt for applesauce, slightly increasing the oil content as I felt the original recipe yielded a rather dry muffin; and of course added some flair, by finishing it with a Streusel topping. Believe me - I have tried and tested this recipe quite a few times now in order to attain the perfect balance between being healthy and delicious- Hope you become a fan too!! 

Partially adapted from here

Ingredients 
Muffin
1-1/2 Cup - Wheat flour 
1/2 Cup - Brown sugar 
1 1/2 Tsp - Baking powder 
1 Tsp - Baking soda 
1 1/4 Tsp - Ground cinnamon 
1 - Egg 
1 Cup - Fat-free milk 
1/3 Cup - Fat free yogurt OR Applesauce
¼ Cup - Oil 
1-1/2 Cups - Raisin Bran Cereal 
1  - Apple, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 
¼ Cup – Raisins 
1/2 Cup - Walnuts, chopped  
1 Tsp - Vanilla essence 
1/2 Tsp - Salt 
1 Tbsp - Chia seeds (optional) 

Walnut apple streusel topping 
1/4 Cup - Walnuts, chopped 
1/2  Cup - Apple, chopped 
2 Tbsp  - Butter 
2 Tbsp  - All purpose flour (Maida)
1/4 Tsp - Cinnamon 

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 425°F.  
• Mix wheat flour, sugar,salt, baking powder and cinnamon in large bowl and set aside.  
• Beat egg, milk, yogurt, vanilla and oil in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended.  
• Stir in cereal and Chia seeds and let stand 5 min.  
• Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.)  
• Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts. 
• Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased or paper-lined medium muffin cups and top it with the Struesel mixture 
• Bake 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Notes and Tips 

• Bake muffins as directed; cool completely. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place in freezer-style re-sealable plastic bags. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving. 
• Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin cups. 
• I used organic apple and hence I did not peal the apples
• You can either use yogurt or applesauce in this recipe - Both will work just fine