Cherry Hazelnut Muffins

These muffins are so tasty and low in sugar!  I have been on this baking with Stevia kick and am really liking the results.  The combination of hazelnut and cherries comes about as a search for a spring break muffin – in other words “What do I have that I can use up and it will still taste good?”

I decided to try out the Truvia Baking product.  This is a Stevia sugar mix – if you need 1 cup of sugar, you use ½ cup of this product.  My recipe needed ⅓ cup sugar, so I ended up using 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of the Truvia.  This does not make these muffins sugar-free, but very low in sugar, and yet they still have a sweet taste.

The dried cherries I had have sugar in them – drat!  It is amazing how many food items actually contain sugar once you start reading labels carefully.

Hazelnuts always remind me of chick peas.

Chop up the cherries and hazelnuts and add to the dry mixture.

I decided to try another new baking product – If You Care Unbleached Large Baking Cups.  They are unbleached and chlorine-free.  Normally, I just skip the baking cups altogether, but they are nice to have on hand, especially if you are planning on taking your muffins or cupcakes to a party or gathering.

Fill the cups ¾ full and bake at lower temperatures for larger muffins.

Eat warm – try not to eat the entire batch in one sitting.  I noticed that 1 hour after I made these babies FIVE were already gone!

Cherry Hazelnut Muffins – makes 12 muffins, adapted from Joy of Cooking

1.  Combine in a medium bowl: 1 ¾ flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Stevia, and ⅓ cup toasted wheat bran.

2. Whisk together in a small mixing bowl: 2 eggs, ¼ cup oil, ¾ cup almond milk.

3. Combine with the flour mixture: ¾ cup chopped dried cherries and ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add egg mixture and combine with a few swift strokes.

4. Fill prepared muffin cups ¾ full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.