Christmas Morning Muffins
christmas morning muffins
Half of the joy of these muffins is the scent that fills the house as they bake. Orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberry… it’s like a Christmas candle, but better and edible! Unlike a lot of processed gluten-free or dairy-free products, this home-made recipe is packed full of healthy, natural ingredients that actually nourish your body. Using almond flour helps to bump up the fiber so that this doesn’t become a sugar-crash inducing treat. Did we mention they taste amazing? They do!
These definitely are sweet, so to enjoy them in the healthiest way possible, have them as part of a breakfast that includes some extra protein. Have a plate of scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes, or stir in some grass-fed collagen (try our Great Lakes collagen hydrolysate) to whatever hot drink you enjoy in the morning. Collagen dissolves nicely in herbal tea, regular tea and all coffee. It’s great for skin, hair, joints and gut health so it’s a fantastic supplement to add into your diet.
We hope the Christmas season is packed full of joy for you and your family. From all of us here at Miles, happy holidays – and wishing you all the best for 2022!
PREP: 10 mins
TOTAL: 5 mins
MAKES: Approx 12 regular sized muffins
INGREDIENTS
5oz almond flour or ground almonds
3oz brown rice flour
1oz linwoods ground seed mix (I used the ground sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, flax and goji mix)
2 ½ tsps baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4oz Sucanat or brown sugar (plus extra for the topping)
4oz (weight) apple sauce (unsweetened)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 clementines/satsumas
Approx 350ml plant-based milk (or real milk if no allergy)
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs
4oz dried cranberries
* Notes: Sometimes it’s hard to find what you need in Bermuda (although we do our best!) This recipe is very flexible and it’s easy to swap out ingredients. Re the Linwoods ground seed mix, I used the ground sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, flax and goji mix but any of their options –or even just plain chia seed will do! Other swaps include: replace cinnamon with ground ginger, cranberries with organic dried cherries, or almond flour with coconut flour (in which case you might need a splash more milk.)
METHOD:
Get the eggs and “milk” to room temperature. Melt the oil in a small pan over a very low heat if yours isn’t already liquid.
Preheat the oven to 390F. Line the pan with muffin liners and spray lightly with coconut (or other) oil.
Mix the flours, seed mix, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sucanat, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Stir in the dried cranberries.
Zest the two satsumas over the flour mix, catching as much as you can.
In a large measuring jug, squeeze in the juice of the two satsumas. Now top this up with your milk until the 200ml mark. Whisk in the melted coconut oil, apple sauce and eggs. Make sure everything is at room temperature otherwise the coconut oil will harden. Whisk quickly!
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well but lightly.
Spoon into muffin cases and sprinkle the tops with a little sucanat.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes (seems a long time but they will need it) or until the tops are firm but springy.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then move to a rack to cool.
This is a Nutrifit approved recipe by our in house Nutritionist, Catherine Burns (BA Hons, Dip ION, mBNTA). For more information on nutrition services such as nutritional consultations with Catherine or our Nutrifit Program please visit our wellness website: Waterfront Wellness.