As mentioned last week I've started eating low carb (or Ketogenic) which rules out all my most favorite breakfast options. Namely being toast or more toast. I tried doing the egg thing but oh my god can you get sick of eggs quickly. Being desperate I turned to my go to place for inspiration and guidance: Pinterest. I did a search on Keto breakfast and amongst the eight million ways to eat bacon (not a bacon eater here) I found a few mug muffin recipes.
A mug muffin is just that – a muffin you cook in a mug using a microwave. Never having great luck with microwaved baked anything I was doubtful but figured I had nothing to lose. Except about $40 in nut flours. Goodness they are expensive.
I tweaked and fiddled and finally came up with two versions that I absolutely love. I would take either of these over toast any day.
The base recipe is the same for both with one having coconut flour and the other having ground flax seed. The coconut flour one is a little drier and more muffin-like in texture. The flax seed one is a little eggier tasting and while still muffin-like, not quite as much as the coconut one. Coconut flour is very absorbent which results in a better texture but the flax seed one has a lovely nutty taste that I prefer. The flax seed one puffs up more, almost souffle like, but like a souffle, deflates a bit when removed from the mug. Speaking of mug – I actually make mine in a 5 oz. ramekin. Ramekin muffin just doesn't have the same ring to it.
Slight segue but aren't these containers lovely? I follow the Home Edit girls' Instagram and was inspired to reorganize my cupboards. The containers are the pop containers by Oxo and you can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond, Crate and Barrel or the Container Store.
Since I'm usually in a bit of a rush in the morning I wanted to minimize the amount of time it takes to make the muffins. The tedious part is measuring out all the dry ingredients so once a week I make up a week's worth in small containers. Then I just have to mix it in with the wet ingredients.
Be sure to read all my notes at the end. On to the recipe!
Mug Muffin
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. erythritol (sugar substitute)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. coconut flour OR 1 tbsp. finely ground flax seed
- 2 tbsp. almond flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. cream or milk
In a mug or ramekin melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients then the egg, vanilla and cream. Mix well with a fork. Cook in microwave for 90 seconds for the coconut version or 100 seconds for the flax seed version. Use care when removing the mug or ramekin from the microwave as it might be hot.
Notes:
You can be as creative as you like with the flavoring. I like the vanilla/pumpkin spice combination but I will occasionally use almond extract in place of the vanilla. Just cut it back to a scant 1/4 tsp.
Vanilla – I buy my vanilla from Costco in a jumbo bottle. It's a good value but the vanilla isn't as great as say Penzey's or Nielsen-Massey so I add a vanilla bean to the bottle and it improves the flavor quite measurably.
For the sugar substitute I use Swerve granular. It measures up the same as sugar and is made of erythritol which is a natural ingredient. You could always just use sugar if you don't care about the carbs and are just looking for a gluten free muffin. Some people notice a slight cooling effect when eating erythritol but I don't really notice it. If you have pets be super duper careful with your sugar substitutes. Erythritol is okay but DO NOT let them eat anything with xylitol in it. It is extremely toxic to cats and dogs.
I use an extra large egg for this recipe. If you can use jumbo or large eggs if you want it more or less eggy.
I buy shelf stable whipping cream from Trader Joe's. It's a great product and nice small sized container. I usually stock up and since it is shelf stable you can store it in your cupboard for up to six months. It doesn't whip up quite as nice as regular whipping cream but it is great as an ingredient for soups and sauces.
The flax seed version is lower in carbs than the coconut version. I hesitate to give out nutritional information because you never know if those dietary database are completely accurate but when I plug it into MyFitnessPal it calculates the carbs in the flax seed version to be six and the coconut one is eight.
These muffins are best eaten right away (as is any baked good) but if you do want to save it for later just give it 15 seconds or so in the microwave to warm it up.
I hope you give them a try!
