Hello, fellow baking enthusiasts!
Today, I’m thrilled to share with you a delightful recipe that’s both delicious and packed with wholesome ingredients. These apple muffins have a surprise ingredient: lentils! This adds protein and fiber that you cannot even taste! Even more, the quinoa flour stabilizes blood sugar. This makes these muffins perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even a healthy dessert. What I love most about this recipe is that it uses a blend of almond flour, quinoa flour, and ground flaxseeds, making it gluten-free and full of natural goodness.
As a bonus, did you know that lentils are incredibly healthy? They are rich in protein, fiber, iron, and folate, making them a powerhouse of nutrition that supports heart health and helps in maintaining stable blood sugar levels.
Let’s dive into the recipe!
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
For the muffins:
- 1/4 cup + 1 TBSP ground flaxseeds (used separately)
- 3/4 cup red or yellow lentils
- 1 cup almond four
- 3/4 cup quinoa four
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves (optional)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ¾ cup date syrup
- ¼ cup coconut butter (or additional applesauce)
- 1 ¼ cups finely chopped apples
For the crumble topping:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 TBSP date sugar
- 1 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
- 1 TBSP chia seeds
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 12 muffin cups with liners or lightly oil your muffin tin.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 TBSP of the ground flax with 3 TBSP of water. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes to thicken.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the lentils with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until lentils break down and most of the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Mash the lentils with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Set aside to let cool.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flours, remaining ¼ cup ground flax, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves (if using).
- In another large bowl, combine the lentil puree with the flax egg, applesauce, almond butter, date syrup, coconut butter (or more applesauce), and chopped apples. Mix well. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix just until all the four is incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scooper, but it is about 1/2 cup per muffin.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients for the crumble topping. Sprinkle the crumble topping over each muffin.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
- Enjoy! <3
These apple spice muffins are not only tasty, but also packed with nutritious ingredients. The combination of lentils, almonds, quinoa, and flax seeds offers a great source of fiber, healthy fats, and essential nutrients. Plus, the natural sweetness of dates and apples means there’s no need for added sugars.
I hope you enjoy making and eating these muffins as much as I do. They are perfect for sharing with family and friends or enjoying as a guilt-free treat any time of the day. Happy baking!
XOXO,
Cara