Seen as Easter is a time of gluttony and chocolate gorging, I thought it would be nice to make a sugar free treat! These tasty muffins are packed with fruit, topped with crunchy flaked almonds and are flavoured with cinnamon, almond extract and nutmeg for a delicious Easter flavor with a few less calories! If you fancy a guilt free Easter treat, here's what to do...
I used Natvia to make these muffins, which is a 100% natural sweetener I was sent recently to try out. It has absolutely zero calories and is also suitable for diabetics. Natvia is made from the Stevia plant, and unlike other sweeteners you can bake and cook with it. I've never thought of using a sweetener to lower the calories in my bakes so I was really interested to see what result I got!
I started by creaming together 185g Natvia and 185g butter. It looks and behaves exactly like regular caster sugar. Then I added 3 eggs and 1 tsp almond extract and whisked well.
I gently mixed in one medium sized grated apple, I used a gala apple as I think they are the sweetest. And 250g mixed dried fruit.
Finally I folded in 250g self raising flour along with 1 tsp mixed spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg and 1/4 ground ginger.
I spooned the mixture info 12 muffin cases and sprinkled some toasted flaked almonds on top.
I baked the muffins on 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes until golden brown.
These muffins went down a treat with my colleagues and despite being healthy they disappeared just as fast as anything else I've made because they were so tasty! I didn't mention they had a sweetener in until the end and no one commented or noticed any difference and neither did I. I would definitely use Natvia again if I was making a healthier recipe.
I am entering these into Natvia's Sugar Free Bake Off. Please check our their Facebook page and vote for my recipe!