Christmas is so close and I think we're all enjoying our share of holiday treats this time of year. Since I'm not the biggest baker, I reached out to a fellow fit foodie and friend (say that 10x fast) and asked her to bring you all a holiday treat recipe I think you'll LOVE.

Meet Rachael from Sugared and Stirred!

Rachael Ng is the creator of Sugared and Stirred and a genius at healthifying treats. You need to follow her now; I want to lick my screen every time she posts a new concoction. (seriously, observe:)

Thank you, Rachael for creating this seasonal guest post! And without further ado:

Gingerbread Mini Muffins

by Sugared and Stirred!

Nothing smells better during this season than a kitchen filled with holiday spice. I’m Rachael, a fit mama who loves baking up a storm and filling her kitchen with the scents of sweet, sweet goodness. Most of us believe that food is all about balance, right? When I took on the food philosophy that moderation is greater than deprivation, a life of wellness suddenly felt desirable. And attainable. It’s so much easier to make, and reach, goals when we allow ourselves to indulge here and there in a treat that we’ve grown to love.

That’s why I set out this season to make a mini gingerbread muffin that’s filled with all of the familiar tastes of the holidays but with a lot less guilt. These muffins are bursting with gingerbread spice and sweetened with coconut sugar, maple syrup, and molasses. They make for a perfect snack, accompaniment to tea, or take-along to a holiday get-together. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

gingerbread

mini muffins

Sweeten up your holiday season with these lighter gingerbread muffins by Sugared and Stirred. These muffins make the perfect treat for neighbors and coworkers on your Christmas list.

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a mini muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the coconut sugar and maple syrup; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
In the medium bowl add almond milk, molasses, olive oil, vanilla, egg, and applesauce to the sugar mixture; mix well.
Stir wet ingredients into dry until just combined.
Scoop or pipe batter into mini muffin pan - fill to the top!
Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes or until toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.
Let muffins sit for 4 minutes and remove from pan by flipping pan over or using a butter knife to gently remove each muffin.
Cool muffins on cooling rack.
Dust with powdered sugar right before serving! (optional)

Recipe Notes

I use a simple coconut oil spray to prep my muffin pan
I like to mix the coconut sugar with the maple syrup and let it sit for a few minutes while I get the dry ingredients prepared. This allows the large coconut sugar granules to break down.
Sifting the dry ingredients helps combine them while also making it easier to mix the dry and wet ingredients
A #50 cookie scoop portions the batter perfectly for a mini muffin pan! If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can also use a Ziploc bag! Just take a gallon size bag and place it in a large glass, opening it up over the edges of the glass. Scoop the batter into the bag, take it out of the glass, press out the air, and seal the bag. Cut a small piece of the corner off and then pipe each muffin to the top!
I used powdered sugar on these only to take a pretty picture. These muffins are amazing without it!

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