Whenever Justin and I go on trips, homemade snacks are a must. The more portable, the better. If I don’t know where my next meal is coming from, I get very stressed and it’s quite difficult for me to enjoy myself. As such, I generally bring a selection of homemade bars, granola, dried fruits, nuts, and some sturdy veggies, like carrots, to keep us going. I decided to change up the routine this time and go with a muffin. They’re portable, come in their own bite sized portions, and are small enough to throw in my purse on the go. I had some apples in the fridge that had seen better days, so into the batter they went. Nobody will be able to tell the difference once they’re baked into these enticing muffins. A big tub of cooked quinoa sat in the fridge, as well, just threatening to go off before I returned, so into the batter it went, too. The quinoa provided great texture and kept the muffins from drying out. As an added bonus, our muffins now have a nice dose of protein to help you through long days spent on your feet. A handful of nuts for texture, and a healthy dose of cinnamon for good measure round out this satisfying snack.
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins
Wet Ingredients
•2 tablespoons flaxseed
•1/4 cup water
•1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
•1/4 cup coconut sugar
•2 tablespoons melted coconut oil*
•2 tablespoons creamy cashew butter*
•1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
Dry Ingredients
•2/3 cup whole spelt or whole wheat pastry flour
•1/4 cup almond meal
•1/4 cup brown rice flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/3 cup cooked quinoa*
•2/3 cup diced apples (I used gala)
•1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or or line with paper muffin liners a standard 12 cup muffin tin.
1. Mix together the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the wet ingredients.
2. In a medium bow, combine almond milk, coconut sugar, coconut oil, cashew butter, and molasses. Stir to combine, then pour in flaxseed mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
3. In large bowl, stir together spelt flour, almond meal, rice flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until just incorporated.
5. Fold in the quinoa, apples, and hazelnuts until evenly distributed through the batter.
6. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin liner. The liners should be almost full, as the batter does not rise much.
7. Bake muffins for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: In place of coconut oil, sunflower oil or another neutral oil may be used. I prefer coconut oil for it’s heat resistant properties. Any creamy nut butter may be used in place of cashew butter, however; the flavor of stronger nut butters, such as peanut butter, may come through in the final product. If you do not have cooked quinoa on hand, an equal amount of quick oats may be substituted.
What are your favorite snacks to bring along on trips? Any other creative uses of quinoa?
a gorgeous, healthy muffin packed with whole foods and no guilt. I am dying for one of these right now. I’ve been eating too much sugar lately! PS: I freaking LOVE quinoa!
Thanks, Sally! I have been on a real quinoa kick lately and was a bit overambitious with the amount that I cooked up at once – a happy mistake though! Let me know if you make them!
hey do you have any idea how much protein or calories are in these?? Mine r in the oven as i type:)
These look so deliciously healthy!!
Great pictures, they look so great!!
I get stressed out as well if I do not know where my next meal will come from. My car and purse are stashed with luna bars. However, these muffins look delicious and healthy. I would love to snack on one right now! Also, I am making your roasted garlic and carrot hummus today!
How is the hummus? I need to make myself another batch ASAP!
yum, made my mouth water!haha
Me too! I get all panicky about food and have learned to always have snacks stashed away for emergencies when there may be no vegan food choices!
I love quinoa, these looks like the perfect filling snack.
Yes, emergency snacks are key! People always laugh at the number of snack options I have on hand at any given time. On this trip I think I actually brought more food than anything else!
i get super stressed too if i dont have a stash of snacks with me.. even on a regular 1-2 hour drive! i am always hungry in the car:)
love these muffins and love all the quinoa in them. these would make perfect in between meal snack.
There is something about cars that either make me really hungry, or, more unfortunately for the driver (who is generally my boyfriend) really tired. So car snacks are essential – they either keep me from starving, or keep me awake!
I’ve never used quinoa in a muffin before…I love this! My husband and I have a 10 hour road trip planned next month to visit my sister, and I’m definitely making these for car snacks
I hope you enjoy them! They were a great car snack on my trip.
These look soooo good! And you sound just like me- I have to pack a ton of homemade healthy snacks whenever we travel. Yeah- we’re that couple with the ziploc bag full of muffins and a bag of granola on the plane.
This looks amazing! Cashew butter and molasses!
That’s a great idea, I always make sure to bring something with me when I’m traveling so I’m not at the mercy of airport food.
Oh my gosh, these look amazing! And perfect for breakfast.
OMG I am the SAME WAY! I need to know when/what I’m going to eat next at all times lol. These muffins sound like the perfect travel food!
Definitely making these! Gorgeous photography, too:)