Several months ago I came across the yummiest flavor in all of Celestial Seasonings Teas: Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride®. Seriously, it really does taste like sugar cookies. So I got all inspired, ran into the DebbyK kitchen (which is about five paces from my computer), and on my first try whipped up what is now one of my favorite cookies muffins: Pumpkin Protein Muffins With A Sugar Cookie Twist.
Are you someone who loves the thought of eating healthy sugar cookies muffins? Then you will LOVE each bite of my Pumpkin Protein Muffins With A Sugar Cookie Twist.
And for those who care it’s sugar free, gluten/grain free, and ultra low carb.
Pumpkin muffins you make that Are Easier than Easy Bake!
My Pumpkin Protein Muffins are really easy to make, and the ingredient list is short: eggs, coconut flour, coconut oil, the tea, a low carb sweetener (I’ve tried the recipe using Splenda, powdered or liquid stevia, and powdered erythritol) , but you can keep it Paleo/Primal and use liquid stevia, erythritol, real maple syrup, or whatever your preference to keep it low carb (or not so low carb if  you really don’t care!), a high quality whey protein powder, kabocha (click on the link to find out more about this pumpkin squash) or canned pumpkin, and a pinch of salt.
It’s as simple as this:
First, mash up the pre-baked kabocha in a medium size bowl.
Then, add your eggs and mix on high speed with your hand held mixer until everything is a nicely blended together (about one minute on high speed will do). You can also use a food processor. But because the batter is a bit thick, I would not use a blender since some of the batter will be stuck on the bottom and be hard to get out.
Then add in the loose tea from each packet (open each tea satchel and pour in loose tea) and blend into the egg mixture.
Next, in a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients together (including the dry sweeteners if using them).
Then mix the dry into the egg mixture until creamy and smooth, and all lumps are gone. Again, I use my hand held mixer to do this, but you can do it the old fashioned way, by hand, and work up an appetite! You will need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as you mix with the hand mixer.
Blend in your liquid sweeteners here, if using them, and adjust to taste.
Then add in your melted coconut oil and water, give one last blast with the mixer, and pour evenly into muffin cups, about 1/2 way full.
You can let the batter sit for several minutes to let more sugar cookie tea flavors meld into the batter, or you can pop them into the oven right away. Either way they are great.
Now, Bake. Cool (if you can wait that long). Eat.
Pumpkin Protein Muffins that always taste great
And on top of being super easy to make, there’s no way to mess up this recipe. Really, you can’t burn these muffins even if you try. Not so with sugar cookies. Forget them for a split second past the timer and, well… Have you ever tired to eat a burnt sugar cookie?
Now it’s a totally different story with my Pumpkin Protein Muffins. You can forget about them in the oven (please, don’t try this at home) and you won’t have to throw them away when you discover you’ve had a senior moment and they’ve been cooking past their due date!
I know this to be true because I had a senior moment made the mistake of leaving my muffins in the oven (no pun intended) for well beyond the 40 minute bake time. It was more like an hour. I must have been writing this blog post!
Anyway, although my Pumpkin Protein Muffins were a little bit super extra crunchy on top, they were still soft and fluffy on the inside. Actually I’m one of those people who love extra crisp, so I was all smiles that their crunch quotient was beyond the curve!
In fact, I love crunch so much that after they’ve cooled, I pop them back into the oven again to be toasted, to bring out even more of that sugar cookie crispiness!
OH! And don’t forget to schemer a little bit of coconut oil or grass fed butter on top. You won’t be disappointed.
Super healthy pumpkin muffins for an anytime meal
It’s true! I’m not joking when I tell you that my Pumpkin Protein Muffins are great for eating anytime. They may look like a muffin to you, but they have enough protein, healthy fats, and fiber to be a complete meal (or a mini meal for some).
And the Kabocha (or pumpkin) adds additional nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, and potassium.
If you follow my blog you are already familiar with my use of love for Kabocha squash in many of my recipes (Brownie Bites and Muffins Brownie Cake and Muffins Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Lemon Chiffon Poppy Seed Cake and Muffins Rice Flour Skillet Biscuits)
A little bit goes a long way in flavoring, or adding texture to a baked good. And what I love best about my Pumpkin Protein Muffins with A Sugar Cookie Twist is that the kabocha helps make them soft, with a nice crumb on the inside, yet they still remain slightly crunchy on the top, reminding me of the sugar cookies I used to eat as a kid.Yumminess!
So what are you waiting for? Â Go ahead! Make my muffins, and enjoy them anytime.
Alas, let’s get baking!
- Ingredients
- 2 egg
- 4 egg whites
- 4 tbsp baked kabocha squash mashed( or canned pumpkin, or baked winter squash mashed)
- 2 tbsp Organic Coconut Flour
- 4 tbsp high quality whey protein powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tea bag of Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Herbal Tea,
no need to ground them or brew them. You will be adding them loose leave into the batter.
- 12-24 drops Vanilla Alcohol Free Stevia
- OR sweetener of choice (i use 4 packets splenda or ½ cup erythritol, powdered after measuring).
- 2 tsp melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp water (or other liquid such as coconut milk, almond milk)
- Pinch of salt
- In small bowl combine all dry ingredients (including dry/ or powdered sweeteners) and mix or sift well to make sure no lumps
- In a medium bowl, mash pre baked kabocha (or if using pumpkin, just scoop out into bowl)
- Add egg whites and eggs to the kabocha
- Beat on high until creamy and frothy (About 1 minute)
- Add the tea leaves (make sure they have been removed from the bags!) and combine well
- Add dry ingredients to the kabocha/egg mixture and mix well until creamy and no lumps
- Blend in liquid stevia (or your other choice of liquid sweeteners) and adjust to taste
- Add oil and water
- Give it one final whir with the mixer to incorporate the oil, water, and any additional sweetener into the batter.
- Divide evenly into 6 muffin cups. (3 muffins=1 serving) I recommend these silicon baking cups The New York Baking Company | Reusable Silicone Baking Cups / Cupcake Liners
- Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until tops are brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes
- Remove from muffin cups
- Devour
- When completely cooled, store in zip lock or tupperware. They will remain fresh for several days. Or freeze in ziplock bags for future use.
- To reheat from freezer: Defrost, then place in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or until soft
- To Crisp up muffins: Place in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- For optimal pleasure Spread lightly with coconut oil, coconut butter, grass fed ghee or butter
