These whole wheat Date and Lime Muffins are fat-free, except for some healthy fats from flaxmeal and pumpkin seeds. Kids and adults will both love them.
I have been a bit of a tyrant with the sweets around our house, mainly because I am trying to keep Desi's too-sweet tooth in check. So this weekend, to make him happy, I baked up these Date and Lime Muffins. What I didn't tell him -- and he didn't guess -- is that they have no added oils or fats (except healthy fats from some flax seeds and the optional pumpkin seeds). They are also whole wheat and free of any refined sugars.
This is one healthy sweet that your kids -- young and old -- will no doubt ask for again and again. The dates and the smidge of maple syrup I added make them sweet enough without being too cloying. I added some rich, spicy nutmeg for its wonderful flavor, and then I added some lime juice because I really wanted that tang to cut through some of the complex sweetness.
Applesauce makes the muffins so moist and tender that no one will tell you didn't add any oil to them. I usually add walnuts or pecans or some other nut to muffins because they add good protein along with healthy fats. This time, though, I decided to go instead with some healthgiving seeds-- pumpkin seeds -- which I just sprinkled over the top instead of mixing into the batter. They brown slightly in the oven and are absolutely divine with the tender muffin.
Gotta run now, but here's the recipe. Enjoy, all!
More recipes to try:
- Vegan Coffee Cake Carrot Muffins
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Orange Almond Breakfast Loaf
- Vegan Almond Chia Seed Muffins, gluten-free
- Vegan Cranberry Breakfast Bread
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 cups applesauce
- 1 cup loosely packed dates (about 12-14 dates), pitted, chopped
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp flaxmeal mixed with 6 tbsp water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, optional, for topping the muffins
Instructions
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and all of the wet ingredients in a larger bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and, with a spatula or whisk, mix until everything's well incorporated. Don't overmix once the ingredients have come together.
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Divide the muffin batter equall between the tins, smooth the tops with a spatula, and then sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top, if using.
- Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes clean.
- Remove to a rack to cool. After 15 minutes, unmold the muffins and continue to cool on the rack.
Nutrition
These look delicious! Do you have any recommendations for whole wheat pastry flour brands? Thank you!
Hi Vaishali,
These seriously look divine. Have big box of dates from Costco and also have rest of the ingredients except applesauce. Will try these soon.
Thanks.
I prefer date muffins during winters because they are healthy and required at that point of time but I have never tried lime as a flavor. I am certainly going to try this one and I am quite confident that it will taste good. Thanks for sharing the concept, this will be a unique experience 🙂
We have a Z pizza here----will have to try it.
Are you saying they had vegan Gorgonzola cheese for the salad?
Hi Ellen, yes! And I don't think the taste was exactly the same, but better.
Wow Vaishali, I am totally in love with those healthy muffins. Bookmarked and planning to make these muffins this weekend, they look so good! Thanks for the comment about my blog look, it is still a work in progress 🙂
Hi Gita, So glad you plan to make them-- they really are rather guilt-free. And I love your blog and all the healthy recipes you come up with, so that comment was heartfelt. 🙂