Good golly it is incredibly cold right now in the Midwest. You gotta wonder what happened to Fall when it is in the 70s on Monday and in the twentys and teens the rest of the week. Sorry Fall, it seems like we’ve missed you already! So when it gets cold, I’m know I’m not alone in wanting to crawl under a blanket with a big cup of coffee or tea and some comfort food. Few things beat the cold when the kitchen is warm and smells so good. So one of my favorite comfort food snacks are muffins. They are so good, and I’d been itching to try these Chia Seed Blueberry Muffins that I found on the Pop Sugar website.
I know we’ve discussed how great chia seeds are for you before. I love throwing them in a big pitcher of water too for added goodness and do that nearly every day. Chia seeds are so great in baked goods. My mom has been sneaking them into cakes and muffins for a few years now, so I was excited to do the same.
This recipe is pretty darned guilt-free too. There is a gluten-free option you’ll find in my recipe post, but I didn’t have gluten-free flour and don’t have a gluten allergy, so I just stuck with all-purpose flour, which worked great. It’s kept moist with sweet potato puree (you can buy a can of this or I just baked a couple and then pureed them in the blender with a little water until they were fairly smooth) and unsweetened applesauce. There isn’t any sugar in the recipe either. Just 1/2 cup of either agave syrup or honey, whichever you’d choose.
Flavors are brightened with the addition of some lemon juice and lemon zest and a little traditional vanilla flavor too. I think next time I’ll throw in a pinch of cinnamon, because why not? It’s great for you and is such a comforting, warm flavor.
Finally you will need blueberries. Now fresh blueberries are either impossible to find or pretty expensive this time of year, so I just grabbed a bag of frozen blueberries as I figured they’d been almost as good. They really weren’t too bad either. Just rinse them and drain them really well. I was rushing and mine were still slightly frozen, but it all worked out in the end.
While these aren’t as decadent as traditional muffins, they sure make me feel better about grabbing them as a snack or for breakfast. I love how light and fluffy they are. They did stick to the paper liner, so for round 2 I think I’ll liberally spray my muffin pan and bake them without a liner.
Next time you’re looking for a healthy treat that will still hit the spot, be sure to click here for the recipe and step by step instructions.
A look back:
One year ago: Smashed Sweet Potatoes Never Tasted So Good
Two years ago: Ka Pow! It’s King Pao Chicken!
Three years ago: Monkey Bread!
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