Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Muffins
Yields: 30 mini muffins
 
These mini muffins are one of my all-time favorites! They taste just like they came straight from a bakery. They’ll keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 ½ tbsp (14g) lemon zest (about 3 medium)
  • 1 tbsp (9g) poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia
  • ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium)
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) nonfat milk
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 30 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla crème stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
  3. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 13-15 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Notes: I highly recommend Meyer lemons, if you can find them! They’re slightly sweeter and provide a slightly better flavor.

For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought blends will work as well, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. (I always buy mine online here because it’s the cheapest price I’ve found!) If you prefer, 8-10 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia, and the milk should be reduced to 1-3 tablespoons to compensate for the added liquid.

Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

Be VERY careful if using liners! Generously coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray before adding the muffin batter. This batter will stick to liners like superglue if they aren’t coated with cooking spray.

If you prefer, this recipe will yield 12 standard sized muffins. The baking temperature remains the same. Begin checking on them after about 18 minutes. The muffins will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm to the touch. You can also use my Ultimate Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe, if you prefer!

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/02/19/lemon-poppy-seed-mini-muffins/