These healthy cranberry nut muffins are studded with fresh tangy cranberries and crunchy walnuts. They make a perfect on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack.
Most weeks Monday through Friday breakfast is an egg sandwich, cooked fresh and drank with a hot cup of coffee. But, some weeks are just plain busy with no time to make breakfast. To keep me from grabbing a bran muffin or donut at a coffee shop, I make a batch healthy breakfast muffins to eat on-the-go. These cranberry nut muffins are low in sugar, high in fiber and have fresh fruit and nuts for great flavor.
These muffins are made with date sugar. Date sugar is made from dehydrated dates that are ground into a powder. No chemicals are used in the process. It adds a rich sweetness to these muffins. Date sugar has a glycemic index of 23 versus white sugar’s glycemic index of 80. It’s still sugar but it’s a healthier version of it.
These muffins also have fresh tart cranberries that add a dose of antioxidants. The walnuts add some healthy fat and they are made using whole wheat flour to add some whole grains into the mix.
The result is a rich muffin that is sweet and tart and goes exceptionally well with coffee.
Healthy Cranberry Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup date sugar 1/4 cup for topping, 3/4 cup for batter. You can also use brown sugar.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup cranberries cut in half
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 egg whites beaten
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin pan with paper baking liners.
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In a bowl, whisk to combine applesauce, coconut milk, oil, vanilla, sugar, and egg.
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Add dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, salt and stir with a spoon until well incorporated.
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Mix in in cranberries and walnuts.
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With a 2 ounce ladle or deep spoon, fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way.
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Sprinkle to with sugar
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Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Remove muffins from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Cooking Tips
1. Make sure to cut the cranberries in half or pop them with a toothpick. Cranberries can expose when cooking. It only takes one exposing cranberry to make a mess out of your oven.
2. Date sugar comes is different grinds. Make sure to use a finely ground sugar not coarsely ground in the batter. If you do have coarsely ground sugar it can be used as the topping sugar. It actually adds a nice crunch texture.
3. I like my cranberries to get a little crunchy when cooking. So I leave them popping up on the top. If you don’t like crispy chewy cranberries make they are covered with batter.
Enjoy!
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