Apple Maple Muffins
From Boring to Inspired
For years I always felt the school lunches I made were often missing the mark. Boring sandwiches, recesses that weren’t filling enough or that were too sugary or just empty calories topped off by a floury apple. Oh dear! While I usually didn’t include packaged food which was a blessing I struggled to make lunches and recesses interesting. The feedback was simply that they came home half eaten. So I decided to shake things up a little.
The solution
Lunch options moved away from sandwiches to leftovers or salads. And sugary recess treats switched to low sugar options, crackers with cheese and vegetable sticks. I included two fruit options to encourage the girls to have enough fruit and to learn that fruit was a good alternative to sugary or salty foods. I found that making lunches was a more inspired processed. So much so that I prepared lunch for myself more often. This is a big money saver. Now the feedback is so much more positive and the girls will often help put lunches together which is such a help to me.
A sweet but low sugar alternative
It’s nice to have something sweet but healthy to include in the lunchbox a couple of times each week. I don’t mind baking during the week but usually my youngest steps in and takes the helm. This week I wanted to include a low sugar, whole food option that everyone would enjoy. One of my children has all but quit sugar but she agreed to try one of these apple maple muffins because they are relatively low in sugar as we used pure maple syrup instead.
The benefits of maple syrup
Maple syrup has 80% of the carbs that refined sugar has. It also has the benefits of of minerals such as zinc which aids immunity, bone strengthening calcium and manganese and iron which support red blood cells. You only need half
the amount of maple syrup compared to using a cup of sugar so that would be a saving. So by adding a small amount of maple syrup syrup you are adding some wonderful benefits even though it is a sugar.
Wholemeal flour really boosts the fibre content as well as the apples. You could really add any fruit like pear, banana or blueberries. And if your preference is not for dairy milk, try using almond milk as an alternative.
With a little planning and some culinary input from your children you can whip up a batch of apple maple muffins that will provide a week’s worth of nutritious recess treats. So instead of reaching for the packaged biscuits to include for morning tea or recess, try apple maple muffins for a low sugar, mineral rich and fibre filled alternative.
Apple Maple Muffins
A great lunch box option that has less sugar and more fibre plus lots of nutrients compared to cakes and biscuits.
Ingredients
- 125 g butter softened
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 small apples peeled and diced
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups wholemeal flour
- 1 cup milk or almond milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat butter and syrup. Beat in eggs. Add apple and cinnamon and mix to combine. Fold in flour and milk in batches. Spoon into muffin cases in muffin tray. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden.
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