Healthy Eggnog Muffins
These muffins are perfect for the holidays! They’re supremely moist and tender, with the same texture as cupcakes, and they’re full of rich spices and sweet eggnog flavor. I love pairing them with a cozy mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate on chilly winter mornings! Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container — if they last that long!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) plain white vinegar
- 1 cup (240mL) almond milk “eggnog,” divided ← that’s the one I use!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar. Stir in ½ cup of eggnog. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining eggnog, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 23-26 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs attached). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will make your muffins turn out dry.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in dense or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITES NOTE: These muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs, and decrease the eggnog by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ - ½ teaspoon.
I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I actually buy it online here.) Its concentrated sweetness is key to this recipe. It allows you to add the maximum amount of eggnog to create the maximum eggnog flavor!
However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute 1 ¼ cup (240g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar AND reduce the eggnog to 6 tablespoons (90mL). You may also substitute ¾ cup (180mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND reduce the eggnog to ¼ cup (60mL) instead (although the muffins won’t be quite as sweet). The eggnog flavor will be VERY faint and subtle with any of these substitutions, and the baking time may vary slightly as well.
EGGNOG NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Just about any eggnog can be substituted for the vegan almond milk “eggnog.” This includes soy milk eggnog, coconut milk eggnog, light eggnog, and traditional eggnog. However, if using traditional or coconut milk eggnog, you may need to add a bit more because these two are often thicker in consistency than almond milk, soy milk, and light eggnog.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, use the following: 1 ¼ cups (150g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
{gluten free, low fat, low sugar}
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.