MMmmm…! I love strawberries, but sadly, strawberry season is always so very short. I hope you take full advantage of this delicious treat from nature! I decided to make these simple yet full of flavour Strawberry Maple Muffins, without any cane sugar, dairy-free, and with the option of using gluten-free flours (I tried both versions of flours, they are delicious!).
Organic Strawberries
Local, in-season strawberries taste nothing like the commercial kind you find in the stores year round, and buying organic ones is always important to limit your exposure to chemicals, since that fruit is one of the most heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals.
Some of these chemicals are proven neurotoxins and endocrine disrupters, as well as possibly carcinogenic, so this is no laughing matter! Children can be especially affected by these chemicals, but adults too. Our nerve system controls pretty much everything we do with our movements but also include our brain, and our endocrine system is related to our hormones, which in turn performs so many vital functions in our bodies that it can seriously affect our way of life if they’re not functioning well. As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I always recommend that my clients purchase as much organic food as they can, especially the ones that are part of the annual EWG’s Dirty Dozen list, which includes strawberries as the # 1 right now for the most pesticides residues! Supporting and buying organic food is not only good for your health, but also for the planet. 🙂
So, what can we make with these delicious local strawberries?
You can make pies, preserves and jams, cakes and of course, these delicious muffins. Inspired by an old Martha Stewart recipe that was called “healthy”, I made these muffins much healthier by changing and adjusting ingredients, like using wholegrain flours, flours that contain less gluten or flours that naturally contain no gluten at all, and substituting sugar with maple syrup. Yum yum!
And who says a muffin has to be just for breakfast or snacks? These little beauties are so tasty, especially right out of the oven, that they make great mini-cakes to serve for dessert, using some fresh organic strawberries, a scoop of freshly whipped organic cream (with vanilla and a touch of maple syrup) and a big spoonful of homemade strawberry and rhubarb preserves.
Enjoy!
ECP xo
Strawberry Maple Muffins | Dairy-Free | Refined Sugar-Free | GF + Vegan Options
A delicious and healthy muffin without any refined sugar. Can be made with multigrain flours or gluten-free flours. Dairy-free with a vegan option!
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic strawberries sliced (local if possible)
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup spelt flour
- 1/2 cup rye flour
Gluten-Free Option: replace the flours with 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup chickpea flour, and 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder (GF option use 1 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp baking soda)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 organic free-range eggs (vegan option: 2 Tbsp chia seeds in 1/3 cup warm water, stir, wait 5 minutes before using as an egg replacement)
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup nut or rice milk
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
Gluten-Free Option Only
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Wash, trim the stem and slice the strawberries.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon). In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together (eggs, then mix in the oil, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla + apple cider vinegar for GF option).
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture while mixing (I use a whisk). Add the sliced strawberries. Fold with a large rubber spatula until just combined. Using a large spoon, divide the batter in the muffin cups.
Bake until nicely golden on top, or a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool a few minutes in the pan, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Because of the fruit content, these muffins will not keep for long, so make sure you eat them within a few days and keep them in the fridge.
Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 185kcal | Fat: 7g | Saturated fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 177mg | Carbohydrates: 25g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Protein: 3g | Vitamin A: 40% | Vitamin C: 14.1% | Calcium: 60% | Iron: 1.2%
This looks awesome, you might like this too http://awesomeashild.com/2013/07/24/best-rhubarb-strawberry-crumble-ever/ 🙂
Looks good, thanks for sharing
These look amazing, Gabby. With our local organic strawberries making appearances at the farmer’s markets, it is a very timely recipe. Thank you for this healthy strawberry muffin recipe.
Thank you Denise! It’s such a short appearance, better make the most of it, right? 🙂 These muffins disappeared even faster in my house! haha
Yay for strawberry season! These muffins are the perfect way to bake with the beloved berries:)
Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
I am with you on buying organic. It’s sad but true that so much of our food is laden with chemicals 🙁 Strawberry and Maple are two flavours I have never thought to put together, but these muffins look delicious!
It’s a good thing we at least have the option to purchase organic in most large cities. Strawberry and maple is an amazing combo, give it a try! 😉
Strawberry season has been a bit of a letdown here thanks to our rather wet and blah spring, but the small number of berries we’ve had are STILL spectacular. Honestly, putting aside any issues related to spraying, the flavour alone makes it worth seeking out local fruit. We went picking berries with our kids for the first time this year (on the hottest day of the year so far…) which was a really nice way to connect them to their food even further. Perhaps we should whip up a batch of these muffins all together too to keep that wonderful connection going! Cheers!
I think our strawberry season is the same here too. I have a limited access to them this year. That makes them even more precious! And I totally agree that local is always tastier, no matter how it was grown. Good for you for starting to teach kids about food early, and teaching them how to cook/bake will further their awesome well-rounded education! These particular muffins would be great to show them that cane sugar is not always necessary for a sweet treat too. Happy baking! 🙂
I love everything about this recipe and the way you’ve provided options, too. My strawberry patch is producing like crazy this year, so these will be in the oven soon!
Thank you! You are very lucky to have your own homegrown tasty strawberries. I look forward to hearing your feedback! 🙂
These are great especially when they are fresh out of the oven!
So glad to hear you’re enjoying them!
What a beautiful summertime treat! I love when recipes are made healthier, and I like to enjoy strawberries in as many forms as possible while we can.
thanks! I completely agree, all forms to enjoy this short strawberry season! 🙂
These muffins look beautiful. What a great way to use summer strawberries. I like that they’re low in sugar too!
Thanks Megan! They are delicious!
We’ve been buying strawberries from our local farmers market for a few weeks now, and they taste amazing! I’ve been baking a lot with them or using them in smoothies. I love these muffins, sweetened with maple syrup, my favorite sweetener together with honey and coconut sugar. They look so pretty and I agree, perfect also for dessert.
Thanks! Doesn’t everything taste better with maple syrup?! 😉
Love the simple, high quality ingredients you’ve used here, Gabby! I also love that you give us options when it comes to baking — I will absolutely be trying the gluten free version of these. I’m not sure why (there’s a heatwave in southern Alberta at the moment) but I really feel like baking. Thanks for another beautiful recipe!
It’s nice to have options 🙂 and I tried them both, they are beautiful and delicious either way! Happy baking!
This isn’t the original recipe right? You changed it up a bit… any reason?
original? you mean different from when I published it years ago? I updated it recently, yes, when I shot better pictures and simplified it to be easier to make and tastier 🙂 I hope you like the improved version