Healthy Blueberry Muffins

I hesitated to call these full-on “Healthy Blueberry Muffins” because, well, to some people, they still wouldn’t be healthy. Even though they’ve got whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal, very little oil, and natural sweeteners, they’re still basically carb bombs. Delicious, wonderful carb bombs.

I almost called them “Healthier Blueberry Muffins,” because surely we can all agree that these are healthier than the typical cupcake-masquerading-as-a-muffin. But I went ahead with “healthy.” Hey, at least I didn’t call them “skinny!” Note: I have totally done this before.

Anyway, even if we can’t agree on that, I guarantee we can all agree that I need new muffin pans. This is just downright embarrassing.

So let’s get back to focusing on the muffins, shall we?

Without a doubt, we’re huge on muffins around here. So I’m big on trying to make these convenient little snack cakes healthier than the average bear, er, muffin. I like to throw a few healthy goodies in there (see: flaxseed meal and wheat germ) along with the just plain tasty stuff (blueberries! Which are, bonus, also healthy!)

Applesauce is a miracle ingredient when it comes to baked goods, and I love to use it in muffins. It adds heft, natural sweetness, and a wonderful moist quality. So these have a full cup of the stuff in there – but they don’t taste like apple at all.

Next, I nixed granulated sugar for honey (I’ve made these with pure maple syrup too – also great). And no vegetable oil or butter here – just a smidge of coconut oil.

These are a tad less sweet and definitely less cakey than, say, a bakery-bought blueberry muffin. These are moist – almost heavy, but in a good way – and totally feel like a hearty breakfast or snack instead of a guilty pleasure.

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Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Author: Kare

Yield: 12 muffins

A few simple swaps - and a couple of add-ins - make these moist muffins much less decadent than their cupcake-y counterparts. But there's no sacrifice here! These blueberry muffins are still utterly delish.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup wheat germ*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
• 1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons freshly-grated lemon zest (optional but recommended)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries + a few extra for the tops if desired

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil the cups of a standard-size 12-cup muffin pan or place liners in cups.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, baking powder, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, milk, coconut oil, and honey or pure maple syrup. Add the eggs and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest (if using) and the vanilla extract.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in in the blueberries.
• Divide the batter between the muffins cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Press two or three blueberries into the tops of the cupcakes if desired.
• Bake until the centers spring back when you poke then and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 - 25 minutes.
• Muffins keep well at room temperature in an airtight container, about 2-3 days.

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