These naturally sweetened Healthy Christmas Muffins are just the thing you need to kick off your festive baking. With the warming flavours of Christmas like cinnamon and then some cranberries and pecans mixed in for some festive crunch. We had added oats for extra fibre and just sweetened it with some maple syrup.
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We always make a batch of these healthy Christmas muffins on Christmas Eve. It fills the kitchen with the scents of Christmas and who doesn't love a warm muffin whilst they finish off their Christmas present wrapping?
Festive baking doesn't have to be loaded with sugar, and we have made some more nutritious swaps here too.
These are soft, moist, and not overly-sweet. They feel indulgent, but they really aren't, making them ideal for busy December mornings or after-school snacks during the festive rush.
They also make a really lovely homemade gift too. Maybe in a basket with some jars of jam.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Flour - Plain flour (all purpose flour). You could use wholewheat flour for this healthy Christmas muffin recipe, or a mix of the two, but they would be very dense.
- Oats - Rolled oats, not quick cook or jumbo.
- Cinnamon - Ground ginger would work too.
- Milk - Any milk will work.
- Egg - Medium and at room temperature.
- Coconut oil - You could use butter instead.
- Vanilla - Extract, not essence.
- Maple syrup - You could use honey instead.
- Cranberries - Dried, not fresh. You could swap them for dried cherries.
- Pecans - You could swap these for walnuts, cashews or almonds.
Variations
Chocolate - Add some dark chocolate chips if you want to make these healthy Christmas muffins feel a little more indulgent. White chocolate chips always work well at Christmas time too.
Nut free - To make them school lunchbox friendly, or if you are making them for someone with a nut allergy, you could leave the pecans out or swap them for sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Orange - For extra festive flavour, zest and orange and mix it into the batter.
How To Make Healthy Christmas Muffins
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6. Line a twelve hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Step 1: Whisk the egg in a large mixing bowl. Then mix in the milk, maple syrup, vanilla and melted coconut oil.
- Step 2: Add the flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Mix it into the wet ingredients.
- Step 3: Add the cranberries, nuts and cinnamon. Fold them into the batter.
- Step 4: Divide the muffin batter between the cases.
- Step 5: Put the muffin tin into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Step 6: Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Healthy Christmas Muffin Storage
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. This will keep them nice and moist.
Fridge: Keep the healthy Christmas muffins fresher longer in the fridge for up to 5 days. They won't be as light as fluffy as they would be stored at room temperature though.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or microwave gently (serving them warm is best if they have been frozen).
Gifting: These make such a lovely homemade gift. Wrap individual muffins in festive parchment paper and tie with twine. You could also place 2-4 muffins in a festive gift box or bakery box.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Don't over-mix the batter - this keeps the muffins light and fluffy.
- Melt the coconut oil gently and allow it to cool slightly before mixing.
- If your dried cranberries are very firm, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes and drain well.
- For a bakery finish, sprinkle a few extra oats or chopped pecans on top before baking.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
If you've tried this Healthy Christmas Muffin recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Healthy Christmas Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Egg
- 240 ml (1 cups) Skimmed milk
- 80 ml (0.33 cup) Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Coconut oil - melted
- 120 g (1 cup) Plain flour
- 120 g (1.5 cups) Oats
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 100 g (0.75 cup) Dried cranberries
- 75 g (0.75 cup) Pecans - chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6. Line a twelve hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Whisk 1 Egg in a large mixing bowl. Then mix in 240 ml Skimmed milk, 80 ml Maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon Coconut oil (melted).
- Add 120 g Plain flour, 120 g Oats, 1 tablespoon Baking powder and 1 pinch Sea salt. Mix it into the wet ingredients.
- Add 100 g Dried cranberries, 75 g Pecans (chopped) and 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon. Fold everything into the batter.
- Divide the muffin batter between the cases.
- Put the muffin tin into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Tips
- Don't over-mix the batter - this keeps the muffins light and fluffy.
- Melt the coconut oil gently and allow it to cool slightly before mixing.
- If your dried cranberries are very firm, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes and drain well.
- For a bakery finish, sprinkle a few extra oats or chopped pecans on top before baking.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
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