These Apple Harvest Muffins are made 100% sugar free by using a healthier substitute. The pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds add a lovely crunch to these super moist muffins that are packed full of super nutritious chia seeds, which are considered by many: one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
Welcome to a new year! Ok, I know it’s already more then a week in. But with the kids only returning back to school yesterday, it feels like the new year is finally getting started. Last week was a lazy start to the year. Days filled with PJ’s, movies and cozy slippers.
Don’t you just love the beginning of a new year? It’s like welcoming the opportunity to a fresh start – new beginnings. You can leave all the regret (should have’s and could have’s) of the past year and move on with renewed vigor. It’s like a reboot to my motivation to chase my dreams, challenge myself to become better and experience everything life has to give. Ok, so I may be a little too Tony Robbins at the moment and big goals are best accomplished in SMART (smaller specific, manageable, attainable, realistic, trackable) steps, nonetheless, these delicious Apple Harvest Muffins rock!
Along with the rest of the population, January is always a great time of year to review one’s nutritional goals and adjust accordingly. While I feel I can totally take on a “low carb, lots of fruits and vegetables with good quality proteins” lifestyle diet, I recognize the rest of my family is just not that ready yet. So I decided instead of making them going without, I’m going to modify some of my already well loved recipes and make them a little less bad for my family and maybe even sneak some extra nutrients in there. But ssssshhhh…. It’s a secret.
My first step has been to try replace (most of the) refined sugar with other healthier sweeteners like maple syrup, honey and agava syrup. Let me tell ya, there’s a whole lot of goodness going on in these easy Apple Harvest Muffins you don’t even miss the sugar. And I even did a side-by-side taste test to see if anyone could even tell the difference!!
Ok, so my sugar loving husband could tell the ones with sugar were “more sweet” but he tried this sugar free version first and he said they were delicious. It wasn’t until he tried the sugar-laden version he picked those as his choice but even my gym-going aunt enjoyed the healthier version of my Apple Harvest Muffins and immediately requested the recipe.
All in all, I consider this a success and a great step forward down the road of a sugar free, or at least a “refined sugar reduced”, new year. Happy New Year!
Apple Harvest Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds + extra
- ¼ cup toasted , unsalted sunflower seeds + extra
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup Butter , melted
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 4 Medium sized apples , peeled
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a muffin tray with liners and set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat the butter, maple syrup and egg together until well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
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In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds. Mix together.
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Peel your apples. Grate two of the apples and finely chop the other apples.
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Combine the butter mixture, the flour mixture and the prepared apples all-together in the large bowl. Stir until everything is well combined and all the flour is absorbed.
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Fill your muffin liners about 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes until cooked through. Use a toothpick to check for doneness. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack.
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Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days or freeze and take them out as needed.
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I agree on your resolution of a refined sugar-free new year! Or at least reducing it 😉 . Your muffins would be highly appreciated here, loaded with apples, nice spices and those oh-so-good-for-you seeds!
Small goals, right? Every little thing helps. Hope you enjoy the muffins if you make them!
Sometimes it’s hard to get the family to go along with you on healthier foods, but if you keep making things like these delicious looking muffins, how can you not succeed? 😉
A mom can only try, right? The kids were totally on board with these muffins however.
These muffins sound absolutely scrumptious! I love using maple syrup in muffins and quickbreads – not only does it replace refined sugar, but it also adds such a nice hint of maple flavour, too, especially with complementary flavours like apple and spice.
I’ll have to try maple syrup in quickbreads too! Love that idea.
I love the inside shot of these muffins – even though they’re refined sugar-free you can still see that they’re fluffy, light and by all other accounts delicious! I hear you on the New Year bit, it didn’t feel like we hit refresh until the kids were back in (pre)school. Wishing you all the best in 2017 Diana!!
Thanks so much Sam!! Wishing you and your family all the best too.