Vanilla Chia Seed Muffins

I think muffins are my favorite thing to bake.  Once you have the proper base, you can literally transform the muffins into anything with any ingredient.  Plus, they freeze super well so whenever I want a baked treat, I can just grab one from the freezer and pop it into the microwave for a minute.  Voila, you have yourself a healthy  and delicious snack!

I’ve been really into chia seeds lately.  They are super healthy for you and are an excite source of protein and fiber.  They can be added into anything: smoothies, sauces, baked goods, you name it.  Here is a muffin recipe that I have been using a lot lately.  I took some creative liberty and changed the original recipe to make it healthier so here is my tweaked version.

Vanilla Chia Seed Muffins

• 1 stick of butter (that’s 1/2 cup butter or you can substitute with a fruit puree like applesauce to cut back on the fat)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used plain but any flavor works)
• 1/4 cup milk (I usually use almond milk because that’s what I usually drink)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Mix in the yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, chia seeds, salt, and baking soda.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two batches.  Blend until JUST combined (dont overmix!)
7. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 15min or until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.
9. Cool completely before nomming.

If you want to add more ingredients to the batter (I have also added craisins and walnuts before), add those after you have mixed in the flour.  Carefully fold the ingredients together.  You never want to overmix the batter or else you’ll get hard muffins :(

Thanks costco for the giant bag of chia seeds for $10!

Yogurt keeps the muffins moist!  Greek yogurt has double the protein so I usually only eat that now.  Plus I love the creaminess and thickness of it.  You can use regular yogurt with this recipe.  Just use 3/4 cup regular yogurt and ignore the 1/4 cup milk.

#bakerssecret

This picture is so pretty! I love the color and straight lines!

Like I said before, muffins freeze really easily.  These make a great grab and go breakfast in the morning.  Just grab one from the freezer and microwave it for a minutes and BOOM..breakfast is ready!