Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
Lemon and coconut are one of my favourite flavour combos right now so naturally when I saw a this
recipe from the amazing Donna Hay, I had to experiment and came up with my own version to of course include coconut. Adding chia seeds give these a little bit more texture and the coconut butter drizzle cuts down the sugar without sacrificing flavour.
And before we go on, yes these have regular white sugar....Gasp! Here's my motto this. Everything in moderation, even moderation. I believe that if you eat in a way that you know is balanced for you (but the basics are eat lots of fresh, real food), having a little bit of sugar here and won't ever ruin your healthy lifestyle. These have all kinds of goodness in them and if you pair with a smoothie, green drinks or a nice fruit platter you've got yourself a nice healthy plate.
Another important thing to mention is that when you're baking or cooking for yourself you have way more control over what and how much you consume. That's one big difference. If you buy commercially made muffins (think the huge costco style) there's going to be way more sugar and all kinds of chemicals. And then let's talk about the process of baking - there's something soothing and relaxing about it, especially on a lazy Sunday morning which is exactly what these are meant for.
I've also been experimenting over the last little while with some locally sourced flours that are freshly milled and man what a difference! There's very little processing, except to crush the grains. No added chemicals or bleaching which is how you'll find most flours on the grocery store shelves. The result is more nutrients and flavour because the whole grain is ground. If you've never had freshly milled grains before I highly recommend you give them a try. I get mine from a local company here in Vancouver called
GRAINThese are perfect for your weekend baking and are best within the first day or so but also taste amazing slightly heated with your favourite nut butter.
Lemon Chia Muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour (if you can, buy fresh milled)
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup sugar (you can use coconut sugar or cane sugar)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup coconut oil
- zest of 2 lemons, separated
- 1/2 cup coconut butter
Preheat the oven to 350*
Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray. Mix the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, ricotta, coconut oil and the zest of one lemon until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Using a ice cream scooper or a large spoon to fill the muffin tin.
Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until baked through.
Let cool for 30 minutes. Heat the coconut butter for 30 seconds or until slightly melted. Mix the coconut butter with the remaining lemon zest until combined. Drizzle coconut butter over the muffins.
Makes 12.
