Sometimes you just need something a little sweet, right!? Well, I’ve got a treat for you! These wholesome and healthy Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffins are full of coconutty goodness and loaded with nutritious blueberries.
CREATING THE RECIPE
Lately, I’ve been a little obsessed with developing a healthy muffin recipe that would be nutritious and delicious. One that would do my body good, but didn’t necessarily taste like it was doing my body good. Y’know? With that in mind, I set out about testing some ingredient combinations in an attempt to land on a recipe where both the coconut and blueberry ingredients would shine!
The outcome is a coconut macaroon style muffin that has a delightful blueberry sweetness, a hint of lemony freshness and all the wholesomeness that whole grains have to offer. No refined sugars, no unhealthy fats – just unadulterated real food goodness.
WHY COCONUT BLUEBERRY WHOLEMEAL MUFFINS ARE THE HEALTHY CHOICE
These muffins are much healthier than most you would buy in the supermarket or a coffee shop. Heck, even some you may bake at home if the recipe calls for processed ingredients. Take this, for example. Each individual Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffin contains about 9g of sugar, relatively low when you compare it to a Starbucks Blueberry Muffin for instance, that packs in a whopping 33g per muffin!
But, it’s not just about a reduced sugar muffin. There’s a great combination of feel-good real food ingredients in this recipe, including wholemeal flour, a dose of healthy fats from the coconut and the antioxidant superpowers of blueberries. You won’t find a heavily processed ingredient in sight!
WHOLEMEAL (WHOLE WHEAT) FLOUR
As wholemeal flour is milled using the whole wheat, it retains its vital nutrients and fibre. As opposed to white flour, which has had most of the goodness removed during processing. This made it an easy decision to use wholemeal flour as the base for these Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffins because we want all those nutrients.
Let’s not forget the fibre either. Fibre stays in the stomach for longer than most other foods, and therefore it will help to keep you fuller for longer. (Source)
As a result of minimal processing, you’ll find wholemeal flour to be denser than white flour, but I kinda like that. It provides a more substantial snack. However, make sure to use a fine or pastry wholemeal flour and not a strong wholemeal flour because it has a more subtle taste. I love to use Dove’s Farm Organic Fine Plain Wholemeal Flour.
That being said, I still think whole grains need more flavour added to them to avoid a bread-y tasting muffin. Enter, coconut, blueberry and lemon.
COCONUT
This muffin is deliciously coconutty. Thanks to the fantastic versatility of coconut this has been achieved by using a combination of desiccated coconut as the dry ingredient, coconut milk as the wet ingredient, coconut oil as the fat, and coconut sugar as the sweetener.
In addition to the marvellous coconut flavour and texture these ingredients bring to Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffins, coconut is highly nutritious. It’s a great source of healthy fat, fibre and minerals.
BLUEBERRIES
I’m an absolute sucker for a blueberry. I love the colour and the little flavour bursts of juiciness they bring to baked goods. Especially when they are served warm.
Blueberries bring lots of health benefits too. They are a good source of vitamin C, but furthermore, they have a good reputation when it comes to improving blood pressure. (Source)
LEMON
Lemons bring such a fresh vibrancy to these muffins, it just wouldn’t be the same without them. I should know – I’ve tried. A LOT. But, let’s not forget about the fact that lemons are a fantastic source of vitamin C.
LET’S TALK MORE ABOUT SUGAR
This recipe combines 2 1/2 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar to sweeten the muffins. Both of these sugars are natural sweeteners, as opposed to refined sugars. There are also the naturally occurring sugars in the lemon and blueberries.
In comparison to a muffin recipe that contains white flour and refined sugar, as per the Starbucks example above, the sugar content in this recipe will be MUCH lower. The natural sweeteners used in this recipe also contain vitamins and minerals that you will not find in the refined sugars.
That being said, if you are following a strict sugar-free diet, unfortunately, this recipe may not be for you. You may like to try my Creamy Porridge Custard with Strawberry Rhubarb Coulis (and just omit the natural sweeteners altogether).
ARE COCONUT BLUEBERRY WHOLEMEAL MUFFINS EASY TO MAKE?
Yes! These Wholemeal Muffins are so easy to make! No need for any fancy equipment, just mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, combine, scoop into a muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes. That’s it. It’s that easy!
In 25 minutes start to finish, you’ll have yourself 12 muffins that you can grab for breakfast each morning or have as a snack later in the day when you feel your energy levels dipping.
Personally, I find these muffins to be just the trick to get me through a day without any distracting cravings sabotaging my weight loss efforts. If I feel like a need a little something, something, and I’m just not in the mood for another carrot stick dipped in hummus, then these really help me to feel satisfied.
STEP BY STEP RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Gather your equipment and prepare your ingredients so you have everything to hand when you need it.
- Preheat oven to Gas Mark 3/ 325°F/ 165°C
- Grease a 12 muffin tin with coconut oil or drop in some muffin cases.
Step 2: Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix to combine.
Step 3: Add all the wet ingredients to a separate bowl, including the lemon zest, and whisk to combine.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined…
Step 5: …adding the blueberries for the very last couple of folds.
Step 6: Scoop the batter into a 12 hole muffin tray, being generous when filling!
Step 7: To decorate, and for extra coconut goodness, sprinkle shredded coconut over the top of each muffin and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Step 8: Once baked, remove your healthy muffins from the oven. You know they’re cooked through when you poke them with a skewer, and it comes out clean.
Step 9: After 5-10 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and leave to cool on a wire rack. Or, enjoy warm – my very favourite way to eat them!
BAKING TIP
I recommend mixing the batter by hand, mix lightly and just enough for the ingredients to combine. Overmixing will leave you with dense muffins. So, don’t be tempted to use an electric mixer or stand mixer. Hand mixing is effortless and takes seconds. You’ll have less washing up too!
DO COCONUT BLUEBERRY WHOLEMEAL MUFFINS FREEZE WELL?
Freezing wholemeal muffins is perfect if you want to extend their life and enjoy them beyond the week ahead. Firstly, make sure your muffins have completely cooled before putting them into the freezer. This way they will freeze quicker and stay fresher for longer.
A quick 1-minute zap in the microwave will have these muffins thawed out and ready to eat in a flash.
LOOKING FOR MORE BREAKFAST IDEAS?
If you’re searching for more real food breakfast options to mix up your morning routine, here are some more sweet and also savoury options that you can check out:
Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffins
Equipment
- Weighing Scales, Measuring Spoons
- Large bowl, Small Bowl & Mixing Spoon
- 12 Hole Deep Muffin Tray
Ingredients
- 200 g Wholemeal Flour
- 100 g Desiccated Coconut
- 2 tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 150 ml Coconut Milk Full Fat
- 70 g Coconut Oil Melted
- 2½ tbsp Honey
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Lemon Zest & Juice (you need 2 tbsp of lemon juice)
- 175 g Blueberries Fresh or Frozen
- 15 g Flaked Coconut To Decorate
Instructions
- Gather your equipment and prepare your ingredients. You'll need to preheat oven to Gas Mark 3/ 325°F/ 165°C and grease a 12 hole muffin tin with coconut oil or pop in some muffin cases.
- Add all the dry ingredients (wholemeal flour, desiccated coconut, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda) to a large bowl. Give everything a quick mix to combine. Next, combine the wet ingredients (coconut milk, coconut oil, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and lemon zest) in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Now, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, adding the blueberries during the last couple of folds. Avoid overmixing to avoid the muffins becoming too dense.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin tin. You can be generous when filling! To decorate, and for extra coconut goodness, sprinkle shredded coconut over the top of each muffin and then bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Once baked, remove the muffins from the oven. You know they're cooked to perfection when you poke them with a skewer, and it comes out clean. After 5-10 munutes, remove the muffins from the muffin tin and place them on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
If you do get the chance to give this Coconut Blueberry Wholemeal Muffin recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think. Drop a note in the comment section and provide a star rating.
Thank you so much for reading!
P.S. Stay in touch by connecting with me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
You can also stay up to date with new posts and healthy REAL FOOD recipes by subscribing to The Real Food Geek mailing list below.
PIN FOR LATER!
6 comments
Thank you Cheryl for this amazing recipe! The smell of the muffins baking was so enticing. The muffins lived up to expectations and were mouth-wateringly good. It had the right balance of sweetness and my mum Thoroughly enjoyed them too! X
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback Charline. I’m absolutely thrilled that you and your mum enjoyed them. xxx
Hi, could I use brown sugar instead of the honey? If so, how much would I use?
Hiya! Thank you for getting in touch. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this recipe with sugar instead of honey so I couldn’t say whether the outcome would be successful for you. If you were looking to introduce a like for like liquid sweetener, I’d have more confidence in saying that there shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but swapping a wet ingredient for a dry one would most likely change the texture and moisture content. If you do try it and it works out, do let me know as I’m sure other readers will find the information useful. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Cheryl.
This is a great recipe! Made for my toddler who has a sore belly – plenty of fibre to help her out and they taste delish! I used brown sugar, frozen chopped berries and added a couple of Tbsp of psyllium husk for extra fibre. Writing this one in my recipe book, thank you
Amazing! I’m so glad you liked them and were able to make the recipe work for you. Your version sounds fab. I’m definitely going to try psyllium husk for sure. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Cheryl x