These healthy-ish whole wheat muffins are designed with classic molasses cookies in mind, and are sweetened with whole cane sugar and honey!
If I had to make a list of my favorite cookies, molasses would definitely be near the top of the list. Chocolate chip would be first, but I’m fairly certain that molasses cookies and snickerdoodles would tie for a close second.
Don’t tell me you’ve never had a molasses cookie. If you haven’t, stop reading right now and go make these. They are AMAZING.
A couple of weeks ago, I got to thinking about how delicious it would be to have a muffin that is on the healthy side and has a flavor similar to a molasses cookie. It took me a couple of tries, but I think I finally landed on a winner.
It’s funny to me that the use of molasses can result in such delicious baked goods, because personally I think it tastes nasty when consumed by itself (no offense if you enjoy it). I was once making molasses cookies with a friend, and convinced her to taste the molasses. She took one lick and made the most horrible face. I tried so hard not to laugh. (Sorry. I’m a bad friend.)
The molasses in these muffins is tempered by whole cane sugar and honey, which results in a moist and sweet muffin, and I added hints of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. They’re also made with whole wheat flour. Perfect for breakfast, right? 🙂
Enjoy and have a great Monday, everyone!
Molasses Cookie Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter, very soft (almost to the point of melting)
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2/3 cup whole cane sugar (I used Sucanat)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap, unless you like bitter muffins)
- 1 egg
- 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or regular skim milk)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease or line 18-20 muffin cups.
In a large bowl, beat butter, applesauce, cane sugar, and honey together until blended. Add molasses and egg and beat again until well mixed. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, just until mixed.
Fill muffin cups 3/4ths full. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Muffins will still be slightly soft when touched. Let cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks.
~K in the Kitchen
KintheKitchen 