Fresh Out of the Oven!

Once Summer is approaching, my cravings for chocolate tend to go away and thoughts of light flavors always come to mind. I go crazy for anything lemon, which is perfect for these hot Florida days. I’m always searching for new breakfast or snack items, so I decided to take my lemon cravings and kick it up a little by making lemon blueberry muffins. I know that muffins aren’t the healthiest for you, so I tweaked this recipe to cut down on the sugar and calorie content.

My main swap is using coconut oil instead of butter – amazing! I’m now officially addicted to using coconut oil in all my baked goods. You get a completely different enhancement of flavor and none of my cookies, breads, cupcakes, or muffins are ever left dense and dry. I’ll also be substituting regular sugar for Stevia, but this is just my personal preference. Feel free to use your favorite sugar substitute or even regular sugar if that’s your preference. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Stevia, plus a little more for the muffin tops

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup Kelapo coconut oil, melted

1 cup milk

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.

2. Whisk flour, Stevia, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, pour in melted coconut oil, milk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk together until completely combined.

4. Next, slowly pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients, little by little. Stir with a wooden spoon until both are mixed together and no lumps are present.

5. Add in blueberries, stirring gently. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle tops with Stevia.

6. Immediately place the muffins into the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown, rotating the muffin tin halfway through cooking. Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins to ensure they are fully cooked.

7. Place muffins on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before consuming. Enjoy!

I absolutely love the combination of the lemon, blueberry, and coconut oil that all go into these muffins. My new favorite way to have these is with my morning protein shake – yum! If you really want to get an extra boost of coconut oil, I’ll heat my muffin up in the oven for a few minutes and then add a little coconut oil to the top to melt.

Do you have a favorite muffin recipe?

-Kayla