Why I like this…
I admit it. I have a thing for lemon and poppy together. Recently I was craving this dynamic duo and developed these lemon poppy protein muffins. I like them because they are slightly sweet, but low in added sugar (about 3g per serving), have about 7 grams of protein and are relatively low in fat.
Why it matters…
When I look at food, I look at a variety of things including how it will fuel me and what I will get out of it. A traditional muffin typically has 40+ grams of added sugar and 15+ grams of not-so-great-for-you fat. I substituted the traditional fat in this muffin for applesauce and made up for it using a mixed flour combination (that included almond meal) and full-fat ricotta (only made the difference of 1/3 gram more per serving). The poppy seed are high in omega-6 fats as well as manganese and copper.
Lemon Poppy Protein Muffin
12
servings40
minutes22
minutes223
kcalIngredients
1 1/2 Cup 1 1/2 All-purpose Flour
1 Cup 1 Almond
1 Tbsp 1 Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp 1/2 Baking Soda
3/4 Cup 3/4 Sugar
1/2 Tsp 1/2 Salt
2 Tbsp 2 Poppy Seeds
2 Tbsp 2 Lemon zest (about two lemons)
2 2 Eggs
2/3 Cup 2/3 Unsweetened applesauce
1/4 Cup 1/4 Milk
1 Cup 1 Ricotta Cheese (Whole Milk)
2 Tbsp 2 Lemon Juice
1/4 Tsp 1/4 Lemon Extract
1 Tsp 1 Vanilla Extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin pans with cups or grease.
- Combine sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. The goal is to infuse the sugar with the oils from the zest. Set it aside.
- Combine all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the sugar-zest mixture in a large bowl.
- Beat eggs. Combine the eggs with the unsweetened apple sauce, ricotta, and milk. Once blended, add the lemon and vanilla extracts.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and begin to combine. Add the lemon juice until well combined. The mixture will be fairly thick but can be scooped into the muffin tins.
- Spoon the batter into muffin cups or greased pans and fill until the mixture is even throughout, nearly to the top.
- Put the pan into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffins are slightly golden. If you insert a toothpick, it should come out clean.