At the Virginia Renaissance Faire, I often get asked if I have anything diabetic friendly. And people dealing with diabetes are delighted when I say, “Yes! I do have diabetic friendly baked goods.” One of my taste testers, who is diabetic, once told me, ” I didn’t know diabetic friendly baked goods even existed” as she happily ate a Diabetic Friendly Cherry Almond Scone.
These are incredibly moist, flavorful muffins that are high in fiber and high in protein. In fact, they are so yummy that they fooled my neighbor, who is now another one of my taste testers- she didn’t believe they were diabetic friendly. And at less than 17 grams of carbohydrates per muffin, they can be safely incorporated into most diabetic diets.
This recipe is presented as a suggestion and may not be appropriate for all diabetics. Please check with your doctor or dietitian to determine if food items made using this recipe can be safely incorporated into your diet.
See Also: Apple Pecan Bread, Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Bread
The Inside Scoop
When I first set out to create diabetic baked goods, I knew I had to do something about the flour mix. All-purpose flours typically contain 21 grams of carbohydrates per 1/4 cup- far too many carbs to allow room for additional ingredients. My Diabetic Flour Mix was the result of extensive experimentation to produce a flour mix that was high in fiber, high in protein, low in carbs and tasted good!
These muffins are very low in carbohydrates. They are so low, I swapped out some of My Diabetic Flour Mix for whole wheat pastry flour.
Measuring: When both volumetric and weight measures are provided, the volumetric measures should be considered approximations. The standard measure for a cup of Splenda is 24 grams. By volume, this measure will be less than 1 cup. Precise measuring is essential for diabetic baking to ensure accurate carbohydrate counts.
I think I’m going Nuts! Nuts can add a wonderful flavor and crunchy texture to muffins. But to get that flavor and texture, it is important to bake the walnuts before adding them to the batter. Pre-baking nuts enhances their flavor and keeps the nuts crisp.
Getting “Eggcited” about eggs? Warm eggs hold more air than cold eggs. Warm eggs are also easier to whisk. To warm eggs quickly, place the eggs, still in the shell, in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl before adding to the batter. That way, it is easy to remove any bits of eggshell or a bloody egg. Whisk the eggs to break up the protein.
Mix it up: Why do so many recipes tell one to whisk together the dry ingredients? This is important so that the leaveners and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which helps to ensure an even rise and texture. After whisking the dry ingredients together, make a well in the middle of the flour mix.
Whisk together the wet ingredients. Then pour the wet ingredients into the well. By pouring the wet ingredients into a well in the dry ingredients, the moisture is distributed more evenly throughout the batter, and there is no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl.
GENTLY fold the dry and wet ingredients together. My Diabetic Flour Mix is very high in gluten proteins; any more than a gentle folding will cause it to become tough. Add the apples, but do NOT add the nuts until AFTER the batter has been left to sit in the refrigerator. This is important so that the nuts stay crisp.
The Big Chill! Wheat bran and wheat germ do not absorb liquid easily. To create a smoother texture, the batter needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours to allow the flour to absorb the moisture. I usually cover my batter bowl and refrigerate the batter overnight.
The Heat is On! To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 11 cups of cupcake or muffin tins with paper cupcake liners; spray the cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the paper liner.
I use a 2-ounce (57 grams) muffin as my standard when measuring out batter for diabetic friendly baked goods. Unfortunately, this recipe comes up 1/2 ounce short of making 11 2-ounce muffins. So I made ten 2-ounce muffins and one 1½ ounce muffin. Each 2-ounce muffin has 16.37 grams of carbohydrates. The 1½ ounce muffin has 12 grams of carbs.
Due to variations in oven temperatures, begin checking for doneness after 16-18 minutes. If the muffins are firm to a gentle touch and appear baked, insert a metal cake tester into a muffin. If the metal cake tester is mostly dry, the muffins are done. If muffins are not done, continue baking until a metal cake tester confirms that they are baked. I use a metal cake tester, rather than a toothpick, because metal cake testers are more accurate. Once done, place the cupcake tins on a metal cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.
When your muffins have cooled for 10 minutes, it is important to remove them from the cupcake tins and place them directly on a cooling rack. This way, the muffins do not stick to the pans or become wet from condensation as the muffins cool.
Enjoy!
These incredibly moist, flavorful muffins are high in fiber and high in protein. They are packed with apples and walnuts, but at less than 17 grams of carbohydrates per muffin, they can be safely incorporated into most diabetic diets. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until lightly browned and aroma rises. Remove from the oven; cool completely. Turn off the oven at this time. Place the toasted walnuts in a covered container until ready to use. Chop the peeled and cored baking apples; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, both Splendas, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, and unsweetened applesauce. Pour the liquid mix into the well in the flour mix; fold until no flour remains dry. Fold in the apples until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight (preferred). When Ready to Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners into 11 cups of a muffin/cupcake tin. Spray the cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Fold the prepared walnuts into the batter until evenly distributed. Measure 2 ounces of batter into 10 cupcake liners. The eleventh muffin will have 1 ½ ounces of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Use a cake tester (wooden toothpick or, preferably a metal cake tester) to test for doneness. Once done, remove from oven and place on cooling racks for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove muffins from cupcake tin and place directly onto cooling racks. Cool completely. Enjoy! Each 2-ounce muffin has 16.37 grams of carbs. The 1½-ounce muffin has 12 grams of carbs.Diabetic Friendly Apple Walnut Muffins
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Loading...Ingredients
Instructions
Diabetic Flour Mix
Ingredients Carbs
30.0g./ 4T Sprouted Whole Wheat
Or Whole Wheat Flour 21.0g.
27.5g./ 5T Wheat Germ* 12.5
16.0g./ 4T Wheat Bran* 7.0
7.0g./ 1T Amaranth *** 4.75
11.0g./ 2T Oat Flour** 10.0
91.5g per cup 55.25 carbohydrates per cup
* Grind in a coffee grinder or a grinder specifically intended for grinding grains.
** Look for oat flours with lower carbohydrate counts.
***Amaranth can be found among gluten-free flours, at Nuts.com, or at health food stores. If not, substitute cornstarch, potato starch or tapioca starch, although the carbohydrate content is higher.
Nutrition Information Per Cup:
Total Carbs: 55.25 g.
Total Fat: 4.75 g.
Total Fiber: 16.13 g.
Sugar and “other”: 23.00 g.
Protein: 17.10 g.
To make a larger batch to store for future use:
Ingredient x5
Sprouted Whole Wheat
Or Whole Wheat Flour 150.0g.
Wheat Germ 137.5g.
Wheat Bran 80.0g.
Amaranth 35.0g.
Oat Flour 55.0g.
Total weight for 5 cups: 457.5 g.
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