White Chocolate-Apricot Muffins

"Combining the chopped chocolate with the dry ingredients disperses it evenly and creates chocolate pockets throughout the muffins. These are also good without the crystallized ginger, if you'd rather omit it."

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. minced crystallized giner

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 oz. premuim white baking chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 c. low-fat milk

3 T. butter or stick margarine, melted

1 egg. lightly beaten

cooking spray

1/2 c. apricot preserves

1 T. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (flour thru chocolate) in a medium bowl, stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter and egg; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Spoon about 1 T. batter into each of 12 muffins cups coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 t. preserves into center of each muffin cup (do not spread over batter); top with remaining batter (about 1 T. or a little more). Sprinkle evenly with 1 T. sugar.

4. Bake at 400 for 22 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes one dozen.

Notes: I made this originally about 3 1/2 years ago and then again tonite. Love them. Ben calls them "divine" and ate 3 during dinner tonite. Miles doesn't like apricot and so didn't eat his, but I would think you could almost try any "preserves" (raspberry is something I would like to try). We can't really tell if we taste the white chocolate - maybe I chopped them too finely??? Ben thought just whole chocolate chips would be a better choice. I think I would either do that or none at all - I can't justify the fat grams if I can't taste them. But chocolate chips would probably be really, really good.