Mom deserves a freshly baked breakfast in bed on her special day.

But indulging her desire for a lazy morning doesn't mean you can't also respect her efforts to eat healthy. So we crafted a Mother's Day breakfast muffin that is virtuous, richly satisfying, moist and delicious. Because no mom should have to suffer through tasteless "healthy" muffins.

Muffins often rely on large amounts of butter or oil to stay moist. Our golden muffins rely instead on a combination of applesauce, low-fat sour cream and a touch of honey and oil. To further lower the fat, we used egg whites instead of whole eggs.

Because these muffins are not low in sugar (there has to be at least a little indulgence), be sure to select unsweetened applesauce. Plus, the sugar is balanced by all the fiber from the whole-wheat flour, bran and raisins.

If you have any left after breakfast, these muffins make a great afternoon snack served with hot tea. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

If your raisins are a bit on the dry, chewy side, plump them back up by microwaving them in a bowl of water for 2 minutes. Let them sit for 10 minutes, then drain. If Mom doesn't care for raisins, substitute another dried fruit, such as chopped apricots or cranberries.

APPLESAUCE BRAN MUFFINS
Ingredients
3 tablespoons honey
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
¼ cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ ½ teaspoon salt
1¾ cups white whole-wheat flour
½ cup wheat bran
1¼ cups applesauce
½ cup raisins

Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin pan with muffin papers, then lightly spray the papers with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, sour cream, brown sugar, vanilla and egg whites.
In another bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour and wheat bran. Stir half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Add the applesauce and stir together. Add the rest of the flour mixture, then the raisins.
Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the muffins comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Start to finish: 30 minutes. Servings: 16
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 190 calories; 35 calories from fat (18 percent of total calories); 4 g fat (0.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 3 g fiber; 190 mg sodium