Valentine’s Day is approaching so I had to do a red velvet muffin. These healthier red velvet muffins have the most tender crumb and are filled with the most amazing cream cheese filling. All the traditional flavours of red velvet cake in a healthier whole grain little package!
Red velvet cake is one of my favourite cakes, mainly because of the cream cheese frosting if I’m honest. But I also love how the combination of ingredients creates a slightly tangy cake that is so soft and delicious! These muffins will fix any red velvet cravings you’re having and make a delicious breakfast or snack on the go.
A goal I made for myself this year was to post a new muffin recipe on the last day of every month so this is January’s, in honour of the month of love coming up. And whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, these red velvet muffins are a must try!
Do I Need to Add Food Colouring?
Absolutely not! I honestly only added it for pictures so people could recognize what it was right away, typically I don’t add any.
If you do want to buy food colouring, I recommend a gel food colouring. They’re much easier to add and you only need a tiny bit at a time.
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 muffins, the first step is to ensure they’re fully cooled. Storing warm muffins leads to excess moisture which will ruin the texture of the muffins and cause them to get gummy and soggy, especially on the top.
As muffins are generally and hopefully very moist, the easiest way to keep them from getting soggy is to store it with paper towels.
Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag. I like to use an extra large reusable bag. Place the muffins on top and lay an additional paper towel on top. Store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze Muffins
The best thing about all my healthy muffins, including these red velvet muffins, is they freeze well. They’re an easy thing to whip up and meal prep for the week or month! When freezing muffins, you’ll again want to ensure they’re completely cooled.
Once cooled, place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag. I like to use a freezer safe extra large reusable bag. Place the muffins on top in a single layer and then place another paper towel on top. The paper towel helps to keep the excess moisture away from the muffins and helps ensure they don’t get freezer burnt. Store like this for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat one or all of them, let thaw at room temperature for a couple 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.
- You can use either low fat or regular cream cheese for the filling. I have low fat in the recipe just to make them a little healthier but either option will be delicious!
- To get the cream cheese to sit in the centre, I only fill the muffin cups about 1/3 of the way. Make sure the whole bottom of the cup is covered. Then, I use a tsp to scoop balls right into the centre. When you put the rest of the batter in, make sure you completely cover the cream cheese. This also helps keep it creamy versus it baking and getting kind of dry.
- Don’t bother with the red food colouring if you don’t want too! If you are using it, I recommend a gel food colouring, much easier to use and you can use a lot less.
- 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 Healthier Muffins
Cranberry Ricotta Muffins
Chocolate Almond Banana Muffins
Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Muffins
Pear Sauce Chocolate Chip Muffins
Bakery Style Apple Butter Muffins
Today’s song is one of the best songs and love songs, perfect for Valentine’s Day! Here’s Your Song by Elton John. 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.
Cream Cheese Filled Red Velvet Muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 115g/4oz low fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tbsp (7g) unsweetened oat milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Muffins
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup (20g) ground flaxseed
- 3 tbsp (21g) cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (135g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup (60g) canola oil
- 3/4 cup (165g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup (110g) unsweetened oat milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp red gel food colouring (optional)
Instructions
- Line or spray 12 muffin tins and preheat your oven to 425℉.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and 2 tbsp brown sugar. Mix vigourously with a spoon until well combined and smooth. Add in the 1/2 tbsp oat milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, flaxseed, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined. Then add the oil, yogurt, oat milk, vinegar, vanilla extract and food colouring if using. Whisk until combined.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and gently fold until just combined. Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 full. Then using a teaspoon, push down into the centre of the batter in each tin to create a little well. Spoon up a heaping tsp of cream cheese mixture and drop it into the little well. You may need a butter knife to help get the cream cheese out of the tsp. Repeat this for each tin.
- Using the rest of the batter, fill each muffin tin to the top, ensuring the cream cheese is completely covered. This helps keep the cream cheese creamy and in the middle.
- 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!
