Bite into a cinnamon and buttery crunch that gives way to a fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth muffin. These easy low-carb coffee cake muffins are the perfect keto breakfast or gluten-free snack. If you are looking for a sweet treat that won't derail your keto diet, these coffee cake muffins are a dream come true. They offer the best of both worlds, bringing that bakery feeling right to your home.
A Keto-Friendly Twist on a Classic
Many people have fond memories of coffee cake, whether it was a boxed mix made on Saturday mornings or a coffee house indulgence. However, traditional coffee cake can be loaded with carbs and sugar. For those following a low-carb or keto lifestyle, recreating a healthier, sugar-free version is essential. These muffins taste just as good as those memories and are even better.
Why You'll Love These Keto Coffee Cake Muffins
These muffins are incredibly tender and not overly sweet. They are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. The recipe uses almond flour and unsweetened almond milk and is a delicious and easy protein boost. While they provide sustained energy, they are also outrageously good! Keeping your blood sugar steady helps with weight loss, and adding erythritol here instead of white sugar ensures you satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your glycemic control.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's a breakdown of the key ingredients and their roles:
- Almond Flour: The base of the muffins, providing a low-carb alternative to traditional flour.
- Coconut Flour: Adds to the texture and helps absorb moisture.
- Sweetener: Options include Swerve (granular, confectioners, or brown), erythritol, or Lakanto monk fruit. Swerve Brown is awesome for this recipe!
- Butter: Provides richness and flavor to both the muffins and the crumb topping.
- Eggs: Act as a binder, holding the muffins together.
- Almond Milk: Thins out the batter; regular milk or water can also be used.
- Baking Powder: Helps the muffins rise and become fluffy.
- Cinnamon: Essential for that classic coffee cake flavor.
- Salt: Enhances the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a touch of sweetness and aroma.
- Protein powder: You can use whey protein, egg white protein, or pea protein.
- Molasses: I use molasses for flavor. A tiny amount gives a brown sugar flavor with negligible carbs.
- Avocado Oil: I use my usual combination of almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, avocado oil, sour cream and Swerve as the main ingredients.
- Sour cream: 1 cup of sour cream is 480 calories and 8g carbs. 1 cup of plain Greek Yogurt is 107 calories and 7g carbs.
Making the Keto Coffee Cake Muffins
Here's a step-by-step guide to creating these delectable muffins:
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Step 1: Prepare the Topping
Whisk together almond flour, Swerve, coconut flour, and cinnamon. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir to combine well. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Muffin Batter
Preheat the oven to 325F and line a standard muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners. Whisk together almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the butter, eggs, almond milk, and vanilla until well combined.
Step 3: Assemble and Bake
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Top each with some of the crumb topping and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pans.
Step 4: Drizzle (Optional)
Whisk together the sweetener, water, and vanilla for the drizzle. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. Once the muffins have cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the tops.
Tips for the Perfect Muffins
- Sweetener: You can really use any sweeteners you like best, but there are some things to keep in mind. Allulose sweeteners tend to make baked goods brown very quickly so your muffin and topping may become quite dark. Keep your eye on them while they are in the oven. The drizzle really needs a powdered sweetener to thicken properly. Swerve works best, in my opinion, as it provides the best structure. BochaSweet and allulose may require more sweetener to get a good drizzling consistency.
- Butter: The butter should still be cold and in chunks. Certainly, do not melt it with your hands or completely whip in with the other ingredients. That's why we use the pastry blender or fork.
- Topping: Press the topping gently into the muffin batter after sprinkling it on. That helps it stick better as the muffins rise during baking. Keep piling on the crumbs until you use them all!
- Doneness: Because of the crumb topping, it can be tricky to tell if the muffins are fully baked. Normally I just touch the tops and if they are firm and springy, they’re done. In this case, I suggest using a tester like a toothpick and inserting it into one of the muffins.
- Nut-Free: The best sub for almond flour is sunflower seed flour.
- Icing Drizzle: For a delicious cinnamon roll flavor skip the powdered sweetener on top and drizzle on a little keto cream cheese frosting! Just thin it with some almond milk until it is a good consistency to drizzle.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Are you longing for a cream cheese filling?
Variations to Try
- Dairy-Free: Yes, you can easily make these keto muffins dairy free. Simply swap out the butter for a healthy oil like coconut or avocado oil. Then make sure to use egg white or pea protein powder.
- Keto Banana Muffins: yes, banana bread and muffins can be keto!
- Cranberry Orange Muffins: my favorite choice for fall.
Serving and Storage
These muffins are perfect for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack. They pair perfectly with a cup of coffee.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
- Storage: You can store your keto muffins in a covered container on the counter for 4 days, or place in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezing: You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. Wrap each individually in plastic.
Nutritional Information
This keto coffee cake muffin recipe has 7.6g of carbs and 3.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.9g net carbs per muffin.
Enjoy Your Keto Coffee Cake Muffins!
These muffins are not only delicious but also a testament to how enjoyable and satisfying a keto lifestyle can be. With a tender base and a cinnamon crumb topping, they taste just as good as anything from a bakery!
Recipe
Yields: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25-35 minutes
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Ingredients:
Muffins:
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup sweetener
- 1/4 cup protein powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumb Topping:
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Drizzle:
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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