Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Muffins
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Who doesn’t like muffins? I know I do but when I look at the calories on the store bought or coffee shop muffins, I have to do a hard pass. I came across this recipe and thought how bad can this be? Well to my great surprise, they are quite tasty.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of skim milk
  • ¼ cup of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1-1/3 cup of all purpose flour (I use unbleached white flour)
  • ¾ cup of oatmeal
  • 1/3 cup of stevia blend
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup of unsweetened dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup of chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a muffin tin or put liners in pan.
  2. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, milk and apple sauce.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, stevia, baking powder and salt.
  4. If you are adding fruit and nuts, lightly coat with about 1 tablespoon of flour so they won’t stick to the bottom of the muffin or batter.
  5. Gently stir the flour and fruit mixtures into the egg batter until combined, do not overmix the batter so your muffins will stay light and fluffy.
  6. Fill muffins tins about 2/3 of the way up.
  7. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes then lower your oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 8 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Per Cookie

  • Calories 116
  • Fat 2.7 g
  • Sugar 3.8 g
  • Carbohydrates 26.9 g
  • Protein 4.51 g
  • Fibre 1.43 g

You can store these at room temperature covered for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag for up to one month. You can thaw them on a wire rack or reheat the frozen muffin in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

I was generally surprised that I didn’t taste the stevia. You can use Splenda which is a little sweeter but some people say they can taste the Splenda.

You can change the fruit, nut, decorate it if you feel like it. This version is great for all diabetes but feel free to have fun and make it your own.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
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These blueberry cornbread muffins are made with healthy options like honey and blueberries. And who can’t use more muffin recipes that are healthy and just delicious

Ingredients

  • 1 c all purpose flour (I use unbleached white flour)
  • 1 c cornmeal
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 c milk (I used no fat protein Lantancia milk)
  • ¼ c olive oil
  • ¼ c honey
  • 1 c blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a muffin tin or put liners in pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking power and lemon zest. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. Combine the egg, milk, olive oil and honey in a second bowl, then whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined.
  5. Add the blueberries and fold in using a rubber spatula
  6. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
  7. Put in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  8. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Per Serving, 1 regular sized muffin

  • Calories 162
  • Fat 1 g
  • Sugar 7 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 3 g
  • Fibre 2 g

If you don’t have lemon zest available, you can substitute ½ tsp lemon extract or 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Both whole wheat flour and gluten free flour work well for these muffins.

If using whole wheat, increase the honey to 1/3 cup. To use frozen blueberries, defrost in a colander under cool running water, shake to remove as much moisture as possible, then pat dry with paper towels before adding to the batter. You can add some raw sugar for a little crunch.

These are great at room temperature or you can heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. If you change the recipe while having fun and making it your own, let me know. I’m always willing to try new things.

Healthy Banana Muffins

Healthy Banana Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Muffins, who doesn’t like muffins? If I go anywhere near a donut shop, I’m walking out with a muffin. Even their healthier versions are still so high in sugar and fat thus making it not a great choice. And I’m sorry, but there are only so many bran muffins a girl can have. So here, a low fat, low sugar muffin that tastes great and you won’t feel guilty having.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/3 cup of honey
  • 1 cup of mashed ripe bananas, about 3 medium
  • 1/4 cup of low fat milk, I used Lantancia high protein fat free.
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1-1/2 cups of flour (I used unbleached white flour)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a muffin tin or put liners in pan.
  2. In a large bowl, put apple sauce, honey, mashed bananas, milk and vanilla in bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the eggs and whisk thoroughly.
  4. Spinkle the cinnamon, baking soda and salt over the wet ingredients. Until well combined.
  5. Add the flour to the bowl and stir with a large spoon or spatula until just combined. Be careful to not overmix.
  6. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, about 2/3 but if you use a thick silicon liner like I do, then it’s almost full.
  7. Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Mini muffins will take about 10-12 minutes.
  8. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then put them on cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Per Serving, 1 regular sized muffin

  • Calories 144
  • Fat 5 g
  • Sugar 10 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 3 g
  • Fibre 2 g

Lots of little extras here. You can make 12 regular sized muffins or 36 mini muffins. To store them, put in airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or 4-5 in fridge. They also freeze well. Once completely cooled, then you can put them in an airtight zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and serve at room temperature. It was suggested that if you put the muffins diagonally on the cooling rack, they reach room temperature quicker.

And now for the having fun part, you can add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, fresh or frozen blueberries, I swapped the butter for apple sauce but you can use 4 tbsp of butter for a richer taste.

You can make it with wheat flour but this will make them healthier oh and a little heavier. Gluten free use 1:1 gluten free flour blend for the flour. You can make this egg free by using 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal and 5 tbsp of water. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes before adding to the wet ingredients. (I’ve never tried it but I hear it works). The riper your bananas, the sweeter it is. It is also a little higher in sugars and glucides.

So as you see, you can have fun and make these your own.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

  • Servings: 12 Muffins
  • Difficulty: Easy
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I was looking for a muffin recipe that would be healthy and filling. A good go to snack for diabetics. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey (I used honey)
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup of milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsps of pumpkin spice blend
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1-3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup of old fashioned oats, plus more to sprinkle on top
  • 2 tsp of raw sugar for a sweet crunch (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 and grease muffin tin or use liners (I used silicon liners).
  2. In a large bowl, beat the apple sauce and honey together with a whisk.
  3. Add the eggs and beat well.
  4. Add the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
  5. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined, a few lumps are ok.
  6. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar if you like.
  7. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
  8. Place on cooling rack and let cool for a couple of hours. They taste better for some reason.

Nutritional facts per serving

  • Calories 131
  • Fat 2.3 g
  • Sugar 9.5 g
  • Carbohydrates 25.7 g
  • Protein 3.4 g
  • Fibre 3.2 g

You have a few options, if you don’t have apple sauce, or prefer not to use apple sauce, you can sub for extra virgin olive oil. You can make this recipe vegan – use maple syrup, flax eggs and non-dairy milk. You can do some add-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts or dried cranberries or even crystallized ginger. You would do this at the stage where you combine wet and dry ingredients.

Pumpkin spice, not everyone has some premade, if you don’t it goes like this. (1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves). You can also substitute the flour to white all purpose flour which makes this lighter and less dense.

As you see there are so many options for you, all you have to do is let your imagination go, have fun and make it your own.

Skinny Banana Bread Muffins

Skinny Banana Bread Muffins

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Skinny muffins that are flavourful and moist. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Well, it is and they are healthier than most. These banana muffins have no oil, low sugar and are only 130 calories. I apologize to the store bought or coffee house muffins.

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas mashed (about 1-1/3 cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour (whole wheat makes them a little more dense)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with paper liners or silicon liners.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mash bananas, add egg, vanilla, sugars, and cinnamon and stir well to combine.
  3. In a larger bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add banana mixture and stir to combine.
  4. Gently stir in melted butter. Don’t over-mix the batter as the muffins will be tougher.
  5. Spoon into muffin tin and bake for 18-25 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 130
  • Fat 2 g
  • Sugar 9 g
  • Carbohydrates 23 g
  • Protein 2 g
  • Fibre 2 g

Note: You can freeze these for up to 2 months in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Make sure that they are completely cooled and get as much of the air out of the bag first.

If calories or sugar are not of concern, you can add walnuts, raisins, cranberries, or even peanut butter (if you add peanut butter, you will need to add an equal amount of flour). This makes the possibilities endless. Remember to have fun and make it your own.

Banana Prune Muffins

Banana Prune Muffins

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Not everyone likes prunes. I’m not the biggest fan, but it was suggested I have some. So I buy a bag, and realized I needed to find recipes or I would waste a lot of them. Came across this recipe, did a few modifications (made it my own) and voila, another muffin recipe and to my own surprise, quite good.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of white sugar
  • 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of mashed banana
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup of chopped pitted prunes

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease and flour muffin tin or use paper liners (I use reusable silicone muffin liners)
  3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and egg and beat until smooth.
  4. Blend in banana and vanilla.
  5. Mix together in another bowl flour, baking powder, baking sodium, salt and cinnamon.
  6. Stir into egg mixture until just moistened.
  7. Mix in the prunes.
  8. Spoon into muffin cups.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Nutrition Per Serving

  • Calories 187
  • Fat 5.2 g
  • Sugar 30 g
  • Carbohydrates 33.6 g
  • Protein 2.7 g
  • Fibre 2.0 g

This muffin was surprisingly good. It was very moist, sweet and had a good texture. You could serve it plain, or heated with a dab of butter. Whatever you choose, have fun and make it your own.