Muffins that won’t give you a muffin top? Seriously!? It doesn’t get any better…

Let’s get really honest for a minute. You know those “muffins” that you buy at convenience stores with your coffee? Yeah, those. They come wrapped in crinkly plastic that’s near impossible to rip open with your teeth. And they sit all pert in their flimsy little cupcake cups that stick to the “muffin” like wet toilet paper and it practically rips off a chunk when you try to peel it? Yeah, those. I hate to tell ya, but it ain’t no muffin; it’s a cake disguised as a muffin. Basically, it’s a disgrace to the muffin.

Then you get those bigger bran muffins that look like giant brown mushrooms and are found in more reputable bakeries. These are a lot closer to the real-deal muffin but still, they can be either too dry or too sweet and frankly, who knows what goes into making them? Most likely sugar. And lots of it.

Ever tried completely sugarless muffins? By sugarless we mean free of not only table sugar but sugar substitutes like honey, maple syrup or agave. It’s like eating a piece of a box. Or a paper towel. Honestly, it’s pretty inedible. That doesn’t mean though, that you need to whip out your soup ladle next time you bake muffins and scoop ladle-fulls of sugar into your baking mix. It does mean you can mix and match using sugar substitutes.

Call it the eclectic muffin. Or the vintage-meets-jeans muffin. Or the fruit-meets-honey muffin. The latter is what we’ve tried and tasted in this recipe below. It’s our knockout healthy, fruity, corny muffins that won’t give you that muffin top! Why? Check out the ingredients in our recipe below! Your main sweet source is not sugar but fruit. And not just any fruit… strawberries. Fresh, ripe, red-pink, juicy strawberries, which are super high in antioxidants, which help fight free radical compounds that can lead to chronic diseases.

Plus they can whiten your teeth at the same time. The Malic acid in strawberries contains tooth-whitening properties. Yes, for real. You can even mush up one of your strawberries, add baking soda and a touch of water to make a paste and brush your teeth with it. Where do you think strawberry toothpaste originated?

The main grain for these muffins is polenta—a fancy name for yellow cornmeal—once considered peasant food in 18th century Italy. It’s cheap. It’s nutritious. It’s creamy. And it’s delicious. And not to mention crunchy…and corny. Especially if you buy it stone-ground in bulk and tell it jokes.

It has protein, fiber and zero cholesterol. It’s high in vitamin A and C and has lots of beta-carotene, which helps prevent cancer and heart disease. So you see, polenta is not just corn (as long as you buy the organic kind to ensure it’s not genetically modified).

So yes, this recipe is sugarless. But to add some sweetness we’ve included honey (you don’t need too much because the strawberries melt and sweeten) so even a ¼ cup of honey goes a long way. You can substitute with maple syrup or agave if you prefer. But for the latter, you’ll need way less, probably 2 tablespoons will do.

The absolute best thing about these muffins is that they are the real-deal. These are muffins. They’re hearty and earthy and dense and crumbly and nutty and crunchy and packed with sweet, pink, juicy, jammy strawberries that melt in your mouth… and don’t forget, they’re always corny. Eat one and you’ll be joking your way around the office. Or if you work from home, you’ll be laughing aloud at your own jokes, inside your head.

They’re that corny!

Fruity Corny Polenta Strawberry Muffins

Makes a dozen (prep time 10 minutes; baking time 20-25 minutes):

What you need to make these berry-licious muffins:

  • 1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal (organic so it’s non-GMO)
  • 1 cup almond meal or coconut flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup almond milk or cow’s milk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup honey (or ¼ cup of honey is fine too) or substitute sweetener
  • 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 2 cups diced strawberries (preferably organic)

How to make them muffins:

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tray with coconut oil.
– Mix polenta, almond meal, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.
– Whisk liquid ingredients in another mixing bowl.
– Combine wet and dry ingredients.
– Toss in strawberries.
– Spoon mixture into muffin tray.
– Bake for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden.
– Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
– Eat plain and warm or cut open and spread on grass-fed butter—yum!
Leave a comment below! Did you make these? Did you use blackberries or blueberries instead? Did you like ’em? Love ’em? What’s your healthy muffin recipe? It might be so good, we’ll wanna share it with our readers on our blog.

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