Introducing Paleo, Gluten Free, and Low Carb Mug Muffins: A Baker’s Dozen of One Minute Muffins
Sweet tooth got your tongue?
It’s happened to all of us–we want to eat healthier, but then we’re sabotaged by cravings for sugar, salty, carb-laden snacks. Rather than reach for a chocolate bar or bag of chips the next time the carb craving hits, reach for a mug muffin instead. Paleo, Gluten Free, and Low Carb Mug Muffins are a healthy-ish alternative, great for breakfast, dessert, or just because.
Paleo, Gluten Free, and Low Carb Mug Muffins will show you how to make a baker’s dozen of different mug muffins from a single base recipe. Choose from Black Forest Cherry, Blueberry Crumble, Carrot Cake, Red Velvet, and Apple Fritter…and we’re just getting started! In addition to recipes, you will learn about the health benefits of the basic building block ingredients, such as the flours, sweeteners, and fiber options used to make the best mug muffins you’ve ever tasted!
Introducing: Pumpkin Pie!
I have this amazing pumpkin pie recipe that I make year round. It has walnuts and almonds for the crust and cashews and more walnuts in the custard. I don’t care much for walnuts, so I substitute pecans. When the pie’s cooled, I cut it into slices and freeze each slice separately. If I transfer it to the fridge the night before, I have a delicious, filling breakfast, lunch, or evening snack.
Pureed pumpkin comes in a huge can, and my recipe only uses about half, so I’m usually in a mad rush on Pinterest to find pumpkin recipes to use up the leftovers before they spoil. That’s when the idea came to me: try to make a Paleo mug muffin with all of the flavours of pumpkin pie!
Here’s the recipe I came up with. Feel free to fine-tune the sweetener and/or spices as you see fit.
To find out the basic recipe, buy Paleo, Gluten Free, and Low Carb Mug Muffins: A Baker’s Dozen of One Minute Muffins.
Other bonus recipes: Snickerdoodle.
Here’s how:
From the basic recipe, omit:
- maple syrup – substitute 1 tsp molasses (optional – it works well either way, but it tastes more pumpkin pie-ey with the molasses, I think)
Add:
- 1 Tbsp almond flour
- 1 heaping Tbsp pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- pinch (or two) of nutmeg (depending on how fond you are of it)
- 4 or 5 chopped pecans
- handful of chocolate chips
Mix and bake recipe according to instructions in the book.
Note: Pumpkin tends to be on the sweet side, but the extra sweetness of the molasses adds a unique flavour profile that I can only describe as unctuous and nothing short of delicious.
The measurements in this recipe made the muffin slightly spicy, probably as a result of upping the ginger. And while I’m not a nutmeg fan, I realize that recipes like this need a little nutmeg. I started with 1 shake from my bottle and settled on 3 shakes, which is a little more than 2 pinches. The nutmeg is still subtle, and helps to draw the connection to the pumpkin pie that inspired it.
For the basic paleo, gluten free, and low carb mug muffin recipe along with more than 13 variations on the recipe, buy Paleo, Gluten Free, and Low Carb Mug Muffins: A Baker’s Dozen of One Minute Muffins.
For the uninitiated who might be asking exactly what a snickerdoodle is, it’s not the name you might give to the drawing of a Snickers bar, nor is it some kind of crazy alien like the guy on the right. It’s a caramel-flavoured, nuttiness that can be infused into any cake, cookie, candy, or in this case, a paleo, gluten free, and low carb mug muffin.
Elise Abram 