Lemon Cranberry Pecan Muffins (low carb, no sugar)

Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale without costing you anything extra. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so, it helps to support this site, so thank you!

    If you've been hanging around Joy In Our Journey for a little while, you probably already know that I have a big love for all things sweet.  ♥

    While that used to be my downfall in life, now I can eat sweet treats and things without feeling the guilt.  No guilt at all!  That is so freeing to me! 

    I've always enJOYed muffins of many varieties.  One of my favorites was Cranberry Muffins with Creamy Orange Spread.  I thought it would be fun to remake my old recipe and turn it into one that is just perfect for those following a Healthy and Trim / low-carb lifestyle plan of eating.  If need to eat gluten free or low glycemic or paleo, this is a great muffin recipe for you to try.

    Better yet, this is a fun recipe to make for a sweet occasion, like breakfast on Valentine's Day!  Hooray for sweetness!  ♥

Makes 36 mini-muffins or 12 regular muffins.

• 1 cup almond flour (I prefer Honeyville Farms' brand; it's much more finely ground)
  
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup ground golden flax seeds (golden flax meal; I grind golden flax seeds in a clean coffee grinder)
• 2 Tbsp. coconut flour
• 2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol (I powder my sweeteners in a clean small coffee grinder)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (learn how to make your own here!)
  
• 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped and tossed in 2 Tbsp. erythritol or Truvia/Swerve/xylitol
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped (or walnuts)
• additional granulated sweetener for tops of muffins (optional)
  

    Preheat oven to 350° F.  Lightly spray muffin pans with coconut oil spray and set aside.  Chop cranberries and nuts and set aside, along with 2 Tbsp. lemon zest.

    In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, ground flax, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of sweetener until combined.

    In a separate medium bowl, combine eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, lemon extract, almond milk, and lemon zest until combined.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in the cranberries and the nuts.  Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.  If desired, sprinkle tops of each muffin with granulated sweetener. 

    Bake for 22-28 minutes (regular muffins) or 18-22 minutes for mini-muffins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of muffins comes out clean.  Cool 5-8 minutes in pan atop wire rack; flip muffin pan and remove muffins from pan onto wire rack.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Once cool, store in tightly sealed container.

Orange Cranberry Pecan (or Walnut) Muffins:

•     Substitute 1/2 tsp. orange extract in place of the lemon extract
•     Substitute 2 Tbsp. grated orange zest in place of the lemon zest

Creamy Lemon or Orange Spread: (optional)

• 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or orange juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon or orange peel
• 1 Tbsp. powdered erythritol/Swerve/xylitol/Truvia/sweetener of your choice
  
  
  In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until well blended.  Cover and chill.  Serve with muffins.
  
  Here's the free printable recipe for you to place in your recipe binder:
  
  (click on image, below, to download and save recipe to your computer, or to print it)
  
  

    EnJOY taking a look at my Visual Shopping Guide to help you figure out some of the ingredients and foods that are quick and easy to purchase and prepare!  This should help you easily make your own grocery list.

This recipe is linked up on Gwen's Nest "Trim Healthy Tuesdays"! Check it out for more new and updated THM recipes!

---