Meyer Lemons are my FAVORITE type of lemon because they are naturally sweeter and have a more distinct lemon flavor. I put a spin on the traditional Lemon Poppy Seed muffin by reducing the sugar and swapping Chia seeds to boost the health benefits. Chia seeds really have not flavor, but, they add a nice crunch to these Meyer Lemon Muffins. You could lighten them up further by using light butter, but, do NOT use a liquid sweetener or your muffins will go flat 🙁
You can use regular lemons to make these, but, I highly recommend Meyer Lemons if you can find them. I am pretty sure you will LOVE them as much as I do.
Meyer Lemon Chia Seed Muffins Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup sweet creamy butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar or sucanat, NOT agave nectar
2 large eggs, yolks & separated
1 1/3 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 Meyer lemon, zested
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 c fat free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
OPTIONAL: Add 1 c of your favorite fruit ~ Raspberries & Blueberries are my favorite additions.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F Coat muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat well after each.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, chia seeds, and lemon zest.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the greek yogurt, then lemon juice with the vanilla and almond extracts. Beat just until smooth.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, 3/4-full.
7. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.
Makes approximately 11 Meyer Lemon Muffins.
Nutritional information per muffin (calculated using caloriecount.com)
191 calories, 10.3 g fat, 5.6 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 61 mg cholesterol, 188 mg sodium, 21.5 g carbohydrates, 2.6 g fiber, 10.2 g sugar, 4.6 g protein (4 points+ per muffin)
I am sure several of you are wondering what CHIA SEEDS are….they are exactly what you are thinking – those fun little seeds you use to grow on your CHIA PETS 🙂 But, they have AMAZNG health benefits. I first heard about them on Dr. Oz and honestly I believe alot of the things he recommends that are great for your health. They are a great source of Omega-3’s, fiber and protein. You can learn more about the health benefits of Chia Seeds by clicking HERE.
I definitely feel like the two STAR ingredients in this recipe are the MEYER LEMONS for flavor and the CHIA SEEDS for their health benefits and crunch.
The batter will be thick. If you have an ice cream scooper, use it to evenly put your batter into the muffin cups.
They are done when golden and spring to touch.
If you have any remaining, they freeze well for up to 3 months.
If you like this recipe, add it to your recipe collection by clicking the SpringIt Button!
The Husband and I are currently engrossed in a “Scrabble” Competition on our Droids using Words With Friends! Check out the APP, it’s FREE and you can play anyone that has it (Iphone users included!). Yup, we are total DORKS like that, but, what can I say….we are competitive 😉
Q’s
Do you all have a FAVORITE APP on your smart phone?
My sis just shared an app today that I can watch workout VIDEOS – so excited. Share away because I am pretty sure I can NEVER have enough things to download 🙂
See you all tomorrow for my weigh in, weekly menu and more daily fun!
danica…these look amazing! i love meyer lemons too – and the fact you added chia seeds makes me oh so happy. hope you are having a wonderful weekend 🙂
Yum! I think I can almost…taste…them… 🙂
I like baking with chia seeds, too! It amazes me how much lift they give a recipe without the use of eggs.
I don’t know what it is about meyer lemons, but they are totally better!! These look awesome!
xo
K
Ooo… those look lovely!
And using chia seeds is such a creative idea – I’m not a bit surprised that The Amazing Danica would come up with it 🙂
This is a good recipe, but I have a suggestion that can turn it from good to GREAT! Use Salba instead of chia. Salba is a superior breed of seed, which is why we call it a superseed. Salba even holds a medical patent! According to scientific research Salba is more nutritious in several important ways. Salba seeds also look better since Salba seeds are usually white, whereas chia seeds are usually black. Use Salba in your muffin recipe and take your muffins from good to GREAT! 🙂
Hi Garin,
Thanks for the idea! I’ve picke dup and set down Salba so many times when I have been at Whole Foods. I’ve heard great things about it too. The reason I always set it down is that they only have a HUGE back that is $$ versus a smaller bag that I could sample first.
Does it have a flavor or is the flavor not there like chia seeds?
Danica
Some stores carry small sample packs of Salba that you can try before you buy. Salba does not have a strong taste, I eat it by the spoonful sometimes. 🙂 It is a slight bit more expensive than chia but the extra expense is well worth it due to the increased nutrition and quality of the Salba seeds. Thanks for asking!
Garin
I will have to make these..but now Iam singing Ch Ch Chia!!
that looks like a great recipe! i have been wondering what to do with all my lemons! i don’t know if they’re meyer but hey, i’m not picky!
Those muffins look amazing..but I might be bias since I love lemon flavored bake goods.
Muffins look great! I had a meyer lemon tree in my yard along with a key lime tree…the bugs got ’em both ;( Will also have to try the salba suggested by Garin! As far apps, have you tried Red Lazer???
These muffins look great… will have to try them. Favorite App: Livestrong This is a calorie counting app rather than the WW points. I decided to change it up a bit and this app has REALLY helped me to loose weight and motivated me to step up my exercise. I’ve counted points for many years and lost weight but needed something different. This app works great for me. (Started Jan. 1 @ 193, now Mar. 1… 173 and still going down!)
Thanks for taking time to post each day. I read it every morning to start my day.
I love the nutrition app on my iPhone (blue symbol with fork spoon and knife) only 99 cents and I can do ww points plus…yeah!!! Down 8 lbs in a month!
I also love my ww app….comes in very handy (when I have wi-fi) for my ipod touch
Those muffins look fantastic! Going to have to try them (maybe later today). I made Roni’s spinach/egg muffins this morning but tweaked them for my taste – they came out delicious but I’m a little disappointed in the appearance (they lost their “fluff” when they came out of the oven – it didn’t stop me from eating them!). I omitted the bacon (don’t eat pork in this house) & added feta cheese, dill, cumin, garlic powder, as well as the salt/pepper called for. I made regular sized muffins instead of minis so they took longer to cook and I also used egg beaters instead of eggs. 2 P+ for *3* muffins! YUM
Curious about the salba seeds – will have to look for them next time I’m in WF.
I have many apps I use, but I am totally reliant on my WW app for tracking and looking up P+ info for foods. I whip it out all the time in the grocery store checking P+ values on the calculator.
My friends and I play Lexulous (it’s free) over emails, but you can also get the app. If you enjoy words, it’s fun. My favorite thing is getting BINGOS (using 7 or more of my letters) and getting tons of points.
I’ve seen so many bloggers lately using Chia seeds. I’m going to have to join the gang and get myself some! Thanks for the great recipes. Have a good Sunday Danica!
These look super and light, I am also bias when it comes to Lemon flavored baked goods.Thanks for this recipe and the springpad app to save it also!!!
I love that you call yourselves dorks and what a fun way to be a dork!
I’m obsessed with playing Sudoku on my iTouch. I also love being able to ue the WW app when I have a wifi connection and I’m not around my computer.
Hi Gail,
Nope, but, I definitely will check out Red Lazer!
Thanks,
Danica
I play a few of my co-workers and my brother on Words with Friends. I LOVE it.
In Turkey they have sweet lemons – they look like the lemons we have without the tip on the end and are really sweet. It is a little strange – your eyes can’t reconcile with the taste at first. I wish we could get them here – they are delicious.