Sugar Free Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins with Stevia - Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes

This recipe makes 9 to 12 large or 24 miniature muffins.

Stevia is a natural herb and a safe replacement for sugar.

This recipe fills 2 miniature muffin pans.

Perfect size to accompany a large Thanksgiving feast.


How to Save Calories on Thanksgiving or Other Multi-Course Meals
Although no one needs bread on Thanksgiving with all of other dishes, we often feel compelled to serve it. One way to prevent over-eating these treasured carbs is to serve them in a "miniature" package. In this recipe, I use miniature muffin tins which allows me to get 24 muffins out of same amount of batter than yields only 9 to 12 regular sized muffins. If you put a large muffin on your plate you'll probably eat it even if you're busting at the seams. If you put a miniature muffin on your plate, you'll get the joy of having some extra carbs with only a fraction of the damage. Most likely, you won't go back for more.

Making Sugar Free Muffins with Stevia Instead of Sugar
Stevia is an herb which has been used to sweeten beverages in Paraguay and Brazil since pre-Columbian times. It's popular in many parts of the world but has been kept a "secret" in this country, in my opinion, by the artificial sweetener and sugar lobbyists. It wasn't until recently that the FDA granted GRAS approval to stevia so that it can be used in "food and beverages" and not just as a "supplement" for which it was previously approved. With its popularity around the world, it has been used in large quantities for many years and has been shown to be completely non-toxic unlike many artificial sweeteners on the market.
When baking with stevia, you do not have the "volume" that you get when using sugar. In this recipe, I replace 1/4 cup of sugar with 6 (1 gram) packets of stevia, 2 tablespoons of applesauce and 2 tablespoons of oat bran. The applesauce and oat bran make up the missing volume nicely.

Fiber Fiber Fiber
As my blog readers know, I think fiber consumption is one of the most important things you can do for health and longevity. This recipe is made with "King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour" which gives you the delicate mild flavor and light color of white flour but all of the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat. I also use whole grain cornmeal which, I must admit, gives you a very grainy texture. If you don't like the texture of whole grain cornmeal, you can substitute degermed cornmeal but you will not get as much fiber. Try the whole grain cornmeal and see what you think.

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Sugar Free Vegetarian Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins
[makes 24 miniature muffins]
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (or degermed cornmeal)
3 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 (1 gram) packets stevia extract
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 organic, cage free, omega 3 egg, beaten
1 cup 1% organic low fat milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 miniature muffin pans that hold 12 muffins each. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend. Divide batter into 24 miniature muffin tins and bake for 9 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also make 9 to 12 large muffins but they will have to cook a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes. You can also put the batter into an 8 inch square pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Per miniature muffin: 63.9 calories, 2.8 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 9.3 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 7.9 g carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.

Sugar Free Vegan Miniature Whole Grain Corn Muffins
[makes 24 miniature muffins]
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (or degermed cornmeal)
3 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 (1 gram) packets stevia extract
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons EnerG mixed thoroughly in 2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup organic soy milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 miniature muffin pans that hold 12 muffins each. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend. Divide batter into 24 miniature muffin tins and bake for 9 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also make 9 to 12 large muffins but they will have to cook a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes. You can also put the batter into an 8 inch square pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. When using EnerG egg replacement, bake the muffins immediately after preparing the batter. If they sit around a while, they may not rise properly.

Per miniature muffin: 60.5 calories, 2.7 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g protein, 7.5 g carbohydrates and 1 g of fiber.