Sugared & Stirred

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Muffins

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I’ve had the recipe for these muffins sitting in my notes app for a few months now. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to share this recipe with you guys! I know. I know. Another zucchini muffin? Yes. Because these are one of my favorite muffins. Ever. They’re fluffy, tender, moist, not too sweet, and give me a bit of green veggie on top of the chocolate chips. What’s not to like? I added a touch of ground cardamom, along with some cinnamon, and OMG I love these muffins!!

This recipe is super easy to follow. There are a few steps involved, but it’s all worth it in the end! The amount of chocolate chips and the kind of spice you add is totally up to you. I didn’t want these to be overly sweet, so don’t expect the 1/2 cup I have listed to give you a chocolate loaded muffin. But, by all means, load those babies up with a whole cup of chocolate if that’s what you’re in to! I really like ground cardamom, but if you don’t have it on hand, or you’re not a big fan, no worries. You can leave it out, add more cinnamon, or add nutmeg in its place. Have fun with these, and happy baking!

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes ~8 muffins

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp*
2 large eggs, room temp*
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour**
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom***
1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips + more for topping

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan with liners or by spraying it with olive oil/non-stick spray. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar and melted coconut oil. Add the almond milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until totally combined. Place your shredded zucchini on a paper towel and squeeze out and discard the excess juice. Add the zucchini to your mixture and stir until combined.

3.) Sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom into the wet ingredients. Gently fold everything together until no flour pockets remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4.) Fill your muffin pan almost to the top – you will get between 7 and 9 muffins, depending on how full you fill them. Top with chocolate chips, slightly pressing each chip into the batter. Bake muffins at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean – try to find a spot with no chocolate! 

5.) Let your muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. If you didn’t use liners, slide a butter knife around each muffin before gently removing. Enjoy warm and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

*it takes a bit of extra work, but if your milk and eggs are too cold, the coconut oil will solidify while you’re mixing
**whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour will work just fine
***if you don’t like cardamom, feel free to leave it out or replace it with nutmeg

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins

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So I’ve been meaning to make a pumpkin quick bread for quite a while now, but then Halloween came and went and I was afraid everybody would be over pumpkin. Well, turns out, people are still totally into pumpkin leading up to Thanksgiving, too! Unlike gingerbread or peppermint, pumpkin basically has two holidays. Good news for me!

When Nathan started talking about a coffee pumpkin bread that he used to bake (complete with tons of sugar + milk-filled butterscotch chips) I knew I wanted to tackle a recipe for dairy-free, healthier Pumpkin Coffee Muffins. I decided to add chocolate chips – no one is surprised – because there’s nothing better than biting into a warm, freshly baked muffin loaded with melted chocolate! I’ve been craving that exact bite for over a week, and these muffins did not disappoint. We all love them, including my toddler who couldn’t get enough. I just might be adding these to the Thanksgiving playlist.

Pumpkin Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 9 regular muffins

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temp
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup for topping
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan – spray with olive oil or line with paper liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, mix the almond milk and instant coffee until granules have dissolved. Whisk in the coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs until totally combined. Whisk in the pumpkin until smooth.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Add the pumpkin coffee mixture and gently mix until no flour pockets remain.

4.) Divide your batter into nine regular muffins, filling the muffin pan nearly to the top. Top with chocolate chips, pressing them slightly into the batter. Bake at 350°F for 18-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean – you’ll have to prick around the melty chocolate chips.

5.) Allow your muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm!

Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins

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I’ve always loved the big, bakery-style cranberry orange muffins at the grocery store, so when I saw a bag of cranberries in my freezer from last holiday season, I knew I wanted to set out to make my own dairy-free cranberry orange muffins! I topped these ultra fluffy muffins with a cinnamon crumb topping pre-bake and then drizzled the cooled muffins with a delicious, homemade cranberry orange sauce. The crumb topping and drizzle add a sweetness and flavor that you won’t want to miss! The best part is that these toppings are rather simple and made up of ingredients you will already have on hand. I like to use whole wheat pastry flour in my muffins and quick breads because it gives them such a dreamy fluffy texture. If you don’t have WWPF readily available, then all-purpose flour will work just fine. Happy baking!

 

Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins
Makes 12 regular muffins

Muffins
2 large eggs, room temp
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut milk yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Zest from two oranges
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (unthawed)
Crumb Topping
1/4 cup flour (whole wheat pastry or all-purpose)
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
Cranberry Orange Drizzle (optional)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (unthawed)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2-3 Tbsp honey

1.) Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray your muffin pan(s) with olive oil.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar and eggs. Add the applesauce, yogurt, vanilla extract, orange juice, and orange zest and stir until combined. Mix in the melted coconut oil; set aside.

3.) Make your crumb topping by combining the flour, coconut sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the melted coconut oil and mix until small crumbs form; set aside.

4.) Stir your fresh or frozen (unthawed!) cranberries into the flour mixture. Pour wet ingredients into dry and fold until no flour pockets remain. Fill your muffin pan all the way to the top and top each muffin with your desired amount of crumb topping – I think that more is better!

5.) Bake your muffins at 350°F for 18-22 min. Let them rest in the pan for 10 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack to totally cool.

6.) Meanwhile, prepare your sauce/drizzle by adding cranberries, orange juice, and honey to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until all the cranberries have popped and the liquid has reduced. Taste your sauce and add more orange juice to thin or more honey to sweeten. For a finer consistency, use a food processor or immersion blender to blend (I did not do this). Drizzle sauce over your cooled muffins and top with fresh orange zest. Enjoy!

Keto Strawberry Protein Mini Muffins

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When one of my Instagram followers messaged me about high-protein, ketogenic desserts, I knew I wanted to really branch out (y’all know I love my carbs!) and attempt something that was keto-friendly and made with protein powder! I came up with these Strawberry Protein Mini Muffins after doing a bit of Googling on what kind of foods are keto-friendly. I was looking for ingredients that were low-carb and higher in fat, so I chose to use almond flour as the base and added three large eggs, protein powder, olive oil, and a sprinkling of coconut flakes – these get nice and toasty in the oven.

I’ve had a big bag of Stevia in the Raw sitting around for a while now, so I took this opportunity to finally put it to use! Yes! I’m so excited to offer you guys a yummy, keto-friendly treat in portions that are small enough for you to decide how many carbs you want to add to your daily diet. My husband and mom (who is a major sweets lover!) both love these! Happy baking!

Keto Strawberry Protein Mini Muffins
Makes ~40 mini muffins

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup protein powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt or table salt
3 large eggs, room temp
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Stevia in the Raw
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2-1 cup flaked coconut for topping (optional)

1.) Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350° and line your mini muffin pan with paper liners*

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3.) In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the olive oil, almond milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Add the Stevia and stir until combined.

4.) Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chopped strawberries until no flour pockets remain.

5.) Fill mini muffin pan 3/4 of the way full (I used a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop of batter for each muffin). Top with desired toppings – I chose coconut flakes! – and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean**

6.) Allow muffins to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing to totally cool on a cooling rack until ready to eat. We actually liked these better the next day, and I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

*I highly recommend using liners when baking muffins with almond flour. I’ve found that this kind of flour tends to make quick breads stick to the pan, no matter how much oil spray I’ve used
**before using a toothpick, I like to lightly tap one muffin to see if it bounces back. If it does, I know there’s a good chance the muffins are done