BERRY COCONUT PROTEIN MUFFINS

April 16, 2018

The muffins my kids ask for over and over! These Berry Coconut Protein Muffins are absolutely scrumptious with their golden tops and tender crumbly texture full of sweet coconut and juicy berries. Best of all, they’re dairy-free with a boost of protein and fiber, and low in sugar! One of those recipes that took a few tries to perfect, but it was more than worth it 😉

Did you know? Coconut is considered a “healthy saturated fat,” however, like any form of saturated fat, over-consumption can lead to elevated total blood cholesterol, though to a lesser extent than butter, another source of saturated fat (source).

Protein recommendations

For added protein, I used LIV Body Lean Vegan Protein in Strawberry Milkshake flavor. This pea protein powder has no artificial ingredients with added probiotics and a great amino acid profile. Bonus – unlike a lot of vegan protein powders – this brand tastes delicious! Feel free to use my code “NOEXCUSES” for 20% all orders from livbody.com. If you don’t have this particular brand, any plant-based protein should work as long as you like the flavor.

Now, you should be able to substitute whey concentrate, casein, or a whey blend in this recipe, just adjust the amount of milk to get a thick batter. You may also wish to add a couple tablespoons of coconut oil to keep them moist (whey can dry out baked goods). If you don’t have protein powder, you can substitute it for two-thirds cup of flour such as oat flour, gluten-free baking flour, or all-purpose flour.

Flour substitutions

For the flour, I used finely ground oat flour. I simply threw some oats in my Vitamix and blended until super fine. You can totally substitute gluten free baking flour, all-purpose flour, brown rice flour, cake flour, cassava flour, sorghum or spelt flour, or even whole wheat flour. You can also try two-thirds cup of coconut flour in place of the one and one-third cup of oat flour, but this doesn’t work with all protein powders. I’ve found it works with soy protein and also whey blends.

Sweetener substitutions

To add sweetness without all the sugar, I used my favorite organic stevia blend that’s twice as sweet as sugar. Any granulated sweetener will work! If you substitute baking stevia, granulated erythritol, or granulated sugar like coconut sugar, you may need up to twice as much (one cup) to achieve the same level of sweetness. If using stevia extract or drops, please refer to the brand-specific conversion chart.

Other substitutions

I used dairy-free yogurt to moisten these muffins and keep them from falling apart. Feel free to one cup of mashed banana for a banana version, or nonfat plain Greek yogurt if you don’t need dairy-free. I have tried unsweetened applesauce and they become overly moist and browned, plus they don’t rise well!

You can use either three-quarter cup of egg whites (vegetarian) or three tablespoons of flax seeds soaked in three-quarters cup warm water for vegan. I found the egg whites result in taller, fluffier muffins (pictured). The “flax eggs” didn’t make the muffins rise as well, and there were larger pockets of air instead of an even fluffy texture. But, either one works! You could also use a vegan egg replacer which might work better.

Since I know not everyone loves coconut as much as I do – the shredded coconut flakes are optional – but really such a nice touch if you’re a coconut fan. Also, I used frozen mixed berries, but any kind of berries (fresh or frozen) will do.

Here’s the printable recipe for these delicious Berry Coconut Protein Muffins! I hope you’ll rate or comment below if you try them 😉

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