Healthy Maple Mixed Berry Muffins

 
Three months ago, my friend Brittany shared the story behind her latest half-marathon running race, including how she carbo-loaded on healthy options the day before. When I scrolled down to the first photo in her blog post, I nearly closed my laptop and dashed straight out to Trader Joe’s.  

The whole grain mixed berry muffin sitting on her plate, with juicy red raspberries poking out of every inch of the pastry, completely tempted me for a taste!
 

 
Later that afternoon, once I scribbled down a grocery list as a guise, I headed across town to check out the TJ’s bakery. I picked up my usual six bananas and Brussels sprouts to avoid appearing too suspicious, then slowly wandered over to the shelves in the back of the store.

Prominently displayed front and center, and the perfect eye level, sat those muffins. I reached for the four-pack, staring at those bright berries, and then glanced at the price tag. Ohmygosh… That much for four muffins??
 

 
I always love supporting TJ’s, but as a blogger, I feel intense baker’s guilt bringing home store-bought pastries instead of making them myself. (But six-layer chocolate cake slices are an entirely different story!)

So I carefully put the muffins back on the shelf, but I completely forgot to add “mixed berry muffins” to my baking list when I arrived back at home… Oops!
 

 
When I stopped by TJ’s last week in search of tortillas, I spotted those muffins again, practically smacked my forehead in the middle of the store, and strode straight over to the frozen aisle to pick up a bag of their mixed berries.
 

 
A few hours later, these Healthy Maple Mixed Berry Muffins sat cooling on my countertop! Soft, tender, and full of juicy fruit, these healthy pastries are still a sweet way to start your day. Unlike other low-calorie muffins, these don’t taste a thing like cardboard, so it can be our little secret that they’re low fat and completely clean-eating friendly!
 

 
Just like with my recent brownies and coffee cake, I decided to branch out and try incorporating gluten-free flour into these skinny muffins. I created my own blend with four different types: brown rice, millet, almond, and tapioca. Since gluten-free flours almost never have the same texture as all-purpose or whole wheat, it’s much better to combine multiple varieties to come closer to imitating that same flavor and mouth-feel.
 

 
Because any type of berry breakfast reminds me of my childhood weekends where Mom made herself blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup (my brother and I demanded plain with the artificial stuff), I wanted to sweeten these with that same natural flavor. You’ll just detect a hint of that warm taste: not enough to overpower the berries, but the perfect amount to trigger those tender memories of the maple scent wafting through the house as you devoured hot pancakes fresh off the griddle at the kitchen table.
 

 
When it comes to baking with berries, I prefer to use frozen and save the fresh for snacking. I picked TJ’s Fancy Berry Medley, a mix of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. However, the latter two were ginormous compared to the blueberries, so I chopped them into smaller pieces before folding them into the batter.

Frozen berries generally release a little more moisture as they bake compared to their fresh counterparts, so I left my muffins in the oven for a full 30 minutes. When they’re finished, the tops should look golden and feel fairly firm when you gently tap your finger in the center. If you’re using fresh berries, start checking for doneness about 5 minutes early just to be on the safe side. Nobody likes burnt, dry muffins!
 

 
As soon as I popped these Healthy Maple Mixed Berry Muffins from the tin, I sliced one in half and stuck a sliver of butter on each half, watching as it slowly melted into the cracks before I took my first bite… Pure breakfast bliss!

But if you manage to save a few and seal them up overnight, they develop that soft sugary coating on their tops that banana bread usually does. It’s absolutely irresistible! I’ve already gone through five muffins in one day…

I might need to bake more tomorrow!
 

 
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy maple mixed berry muffins!

Healthy Maple Mixed Berry Muffins

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 muffins

With their soft and tender texture, these sweet muffins practically taste like cupcakes! Feel free to substitute your favorite fruit in place of the mixed berries. Leftover muffins will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5 from 6 votes

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Ingredients 

• 2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
• ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
• 1 ½ cups (210g) frozen mixed berries (such as Trader Joe’s Fancy Berry Medley – and see Notes!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 12 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and yogurt, thoroughly mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts and the milk in 2 equal parts.) Gently fold in the berries.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and bake at 350°F for 29-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If using fresh berries, check for doneness about 5 minutes early.) Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (The berries will still be extremely hot, so don’t burn yourself!)

Notes

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat pastry flour.

 

PURE MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.

 

I do not recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup. Most sugar-free maple syrup is water-based, which affects the texture of your muffins and can cause them to collapse while cooling.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

FROZEN MIXED BERRIES NOTES: I prefer a mixed berry blend with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Sometimes the raspberries and blackberries are much larger than the blueberries; if that’s the case, chop them into halves or quarters to ensure there’s a more even distribution throughout your muffins.

 

Fresh berries may be substituted for the frozen, if you prefer.

 

GLUTEN FREE VERSION: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (28g) almond flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one by Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points