Today I’ve got a delicious and healthy blueberry flax muffin for you. Packed full of blueberry goodness, these wholesome muffins are an easy breakfast muffin to freeze for on the go snacks.
Blueberries are one of my all time favourites as we grew up picking wild blueberries every year. In saying this, we were spoiled with the absolute best wild blueberries in Newfoundland and nothing I get from a farm or store here even comes close to that flavour. This is why I always give blueberries a little help with lemon zest and juice to enhance them. Plus, this helps them taste more like a Newfoundland blueberry which is exactly what I want.
These blueberry flax muffins are fluffy and surprisingly soft for a flax muffin. I love adding a little flax to my muffins just to bump up the nutrition a little but these muffins are meant to be a flax muffin, so I added more then usual. Add that to the whole wheat flour base and you’ve got a delicious whole grain snack. For a different flax muffin, try my pumpkin flax muffins.
Which Kind of Blueberries To Use?
I highly recommend using wild blueberries, either fresh or frozen. Wild blueberries have way more taste and are typically a little smaller as well which makes them easier to mix into the batter.
Do I Need the Lemon Juice and Zest?
No, I add this because I find the blueberries in my area tend to be pretty bland. If your blueberries taste good, then you don’t need either the juice or zest.
If you do add lemon zest, I highly recommend using a zester for the best flavour and least waste. I love this one.
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
How to Store Muffins
When storing these blueberry flax muffins, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins, otherwise they’ll get gummy and soggy.
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze Muffins
If you want to freeze these, follow these steps:
- Fully cool the muffins
- Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
- Put the muffins on top of the paper towel in a single layer.
- Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.
- Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To eat, take amount you need out and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or heat in the microwave in 20 second increments. Be cautious if using the microwave when feeding children or toddlers, it can leave hot spots.
Benefits of Whole Wheat vs White Flour
When baking healthier snacks, treats or breakfasts, I’m a big fan of using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, also known as white flour. There are many benefits to this including a higher concentration of minerals like copper, magnesium and iron. This is important for me personally as like many women, I’ve had issues with low iron in my life.
There is also a larger source of B vitamins in whole wheat flour which provides energy. Whole wheat flour has a higher protein content as well as more fibre, both of which can keep you feeling full longer. Another great thing about whole wheat flour is it can add a little extra flavour bringing a hint of nuttiness to certain bakes.
The only cons of using whole wheat flour that I know of is sometimes it can make a recipe more dense, which is why I typically add more moisture to my recipes. In doing this, I generally don’t notice that I’m eating a whole wheat flour muffin instead of a white flour muffin.
The other downside is I know everybody doesn’t keep whole wheat flour on hand. Well, I never used to either and now I can’t imagine not having it in the house. I buy a large 10kg bag for the exact same price as an all purpose bag of flour and have never had it go bad on me. I highly recommend keeping some on hand so you can make guilt free muffins, quick breads or whatever you want! In saying this, if the recipe doesn’t call for it, I don’t recommend swapping whole wheat flour for white flour, they’re generally not a 1 to 1 substitute.
If you’d like more information on the nutritional benefits, head to https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/. There are lots of great sources of nutritional information on the Harvard website that is backed up by multiple sources.
Baking Tips
- Make sure not to overmix the batter or you will end up with a very tough, dense muffin. Gently fold the batter until just combined.
- Use wild blueberries, they’re soo much better!
- If you’re blueberries are lacking in flavour, add the lemon zest and juice, it will add a lot of flavour.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Summer Baking
Today’s song is a great song when you’re driving. Here’s Beat The Devils Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Happy baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.
Blueberry Flax Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (270g) whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup (27g) ground flaxseed
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (160g) maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (60g) canola oil
- 1/2 cup (110g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (220g) unsweetened oat milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- Zest from 1 lemon (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar (optional for topping)
Instructions
- Line or spray 12 muffin tins and preheat your oven to 425℉.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and salt. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and maple syrup. Whisk until well combined. Then add the oil, yogurt, oat milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and gently fold until almost combined. If not using lemon juice and zest, add the blueberries to the batter. (If you are using, in the same medium mixing bowl, add your blueberries and zest your lemon and add the lemon juice. Stir together and then dump the blueberries into the batter.) Fold together until just combined.
- Fill each muffin tin a little overflowing and then, if using, sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350℉ and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until the muffins spring back slightly when touched. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to fully cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months and enjoy!
