WHAT??? A muffin...while eating healthy??? And...I can make it in 3 minutes!!! Pinch me, I must be dreaming!
Nope...not dreaming! Jeff & I just enjoyed a delicious apple cinnamon muffin with a cup of coffee and I couldn't wait to jump on the computer and share it with you! This Healthy 3-Minute Apple Cinnamon Muffin has only 9 ingredients, mixes & cooks right in your Ceramic Egg Cooker or coffee cup and, the most important thing...it tastes great!
I've tried "healthy" muffins before and let's be honest, they tasted like cardboard! Not this muffin! It's light and airy, perfectly sweetened with honey, just a tad tart from the Granny Smith apples and the increased protein from the almond flour keeps you satisfied for hours.
According to My Fitness Pal, the first draft recipe for the muffin had 413 calories, 13 grams of protein, 28 grams of fat, 28 carbs, 4 grams of fiber and 22 grams of sugar. WOW! I almost scrapped the entire recipe because of those calories & carbs! I'm trying to lose weight and the only way I'm ever successful is by cutting carbs and, although the Healthy 3-Minute Apple Cinnamon Muffin is delicious (is it THAT delicious?), why not just have a bowl of oatmeal with apples on top? I don't like oatmeal and I WANT to eat this muffin, that's why! So...I looked at every ingredient and thought about what I could substitute, reduce, or eliminate.
In order to tweak the recipe to be a little friendlier for my waistline, I first looked at what ingredients were fat- and carb-laden. The first, of course, is the butter. Okay, let's reduce that by half. The honey is also driving up those carbs and sugar. I could always use an artificial sweetener...no, that's no good. Remember...Real Life~Real Food~Real Simple! The honey stays, but I'll reduce it by ⅓.
Next up, almond flour... now this is where life got real interesting for me. I started to research flours and nutritional values. Boy, oh boy, there are a lot of flours out there! I've never even heard of amaranth and teff flours before today and it was very interesting to read about them. 
During my research, I came across this Flour Comparison Chart on All The Love- Without The Wheat and found it very useful.
After looking at the macro- and micro-nutrients of both coconut flour and almond flour, the latter won out for me. While almond flour has a higher fat and calorie content, it also has fewer carbs and more fiber. If you are interested in reading more about almond flour, I found this article on Why Almond Flour Is Better Than Most Other Flours very interesting.
With the almond flour staying and two other ingredients reduced, I set out to make another muffin. It was wonderful! Reducing the butter and honey did not affect the flavor, texture or overall enjoyment of the Healthy 3-Minute Apple Cinnamon Muffin! I happily plugged my recipe into My Fitness Pal and here's where it landed - Calories: 350, Protein: 13 grams, Carbohydrates: 24 grams, Sugar: 17 grams, Fiber: 5 grams, Fat: 22 grams (Saturated: 7gm, Unsaturated: 4mg).
Awesome! The muffin is back on the menu at least once a week!
What you'll need to make the Healthy 3-Minute Apple Cinnamon Muffin:
- Butter
- Milk
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Honey
- Almond Flour
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon
- Granny Smith Apple
Step One:
Add butter to your Ceramic Egg Cooker or coffee cup and heat in the microwave about 15 seconds or until melted. Add vanilla, honey, milk & egg. Stir to combine.
Step Two:
Add almond flour, cinnamon, and baking powder and mix well. Peel and dice Granny Smith apple with a paring knife. Funny thing about a paring knife... I've never had one before I bought one from Pampered Chef. It's amazing how fast I can peel and prep fruit and veggies with the right-sized knife! Do yourself a favor and invest in good quality knives and use the correct knife for the task at hand. It makes a huge difference! Add the Granny Smith apple and stir.
Step Three:
Microwave uncovered for 1 ½ minutes. You can eat the muffin right from the Ceramic Egg Cooker or invert it onto a plate. Serve & enjoy!
Healthy 3-Minute Apple Cinnamon Muffin
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp salted butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp diced Granny Smith apple
Instructions
- Add butter to Ceramic Egg Cooker or Coffee Mug and microwave for 15 seconds or until melted
- Add vanilla, honey, milk and egg. Mix well with fork until egg is lightly scrambled
- Dice Granny Smith apple into ¼ to ½ inch dice
- Add almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and apples. Stir to combine.
- Microwave uncovered on high for 1 ½ minutes or until top of muffin springs back when touched
- Invert onto plate.
- Serve & Enjoy
sandra pantall
I like cooking with honey. Thank you for giving me honey last year. Had granola, recipe you gave me, this morning with a fourth cup of light vanilla yogurt. Used some honey to replace the maple syrup in the recipe. MOM