Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup | Naturally Sweetened

Blueberry muffins with maple syrup are a match made in heaven. With the combination of blueberries, maple syrup, a slight dash of cinnamon, and a splash of homemade vanilla, you’re sure to find yourself heading back for another one after the first. These are great as a breakfast or a snack food, and since they’re naturally sweetened, you don’t have to feel guilty after eating one.

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Here at our house, we do our best to eat as much as we can homemade and from our own kitchen. This means that we don’t buy a lot of snack-type foods, and instead, I make a lot of our in-between meal foods with my own hands from my pantry staples and our homestead preserves. Muffins are a great thing to have on hand for when you have guests come over, for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, or for that 3:00 slump when the kids start to get hungry.

One of my favorite parts about these blueberry muffins with maple syrup is that they’re naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Maple syrup is one of my favorite foods to use and make here on our little homestead because it’s one of the first things we can get from the land in the new year. I find it so special to go out into the woods in the late winter/early spring, tap into the trees, and create this beautiful, antioxidant-rich sweetener that we can use over and over again on our homestead. Being a little more self-sufficient, like we are when we use our own maple syrup for recipes instead of sugar, is a huge reason why we do this lifestyle! We want to be able to live off the land as much as we can and rely on the store as little as possible.

If you’ve wanted to try out making maple syrup, I really suggest you check out this post where I go into detail about how you can get started with your own small-batch maple syrup making operation. It isn’t as hard as you think!

Table of Contents

• FAQ about Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup
  • Are these blueberry muffins with maple syrup healthy for you?
  • Is naturally sweetened better for you than artificial sweeteners?
  • Can you use frozen blueberries?
  • How do I keep blueberries from sinking to the bottom?
  • Can I substitute another sweetener for the maple syrup?
• Ingredients:
• Materials You’ll Need:
• Directions for Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup
• Make sure you save this recipe!
• Looking for more naturally sweetened treats and breakfast ideas?
• What are your go-to snack recipes?

FAQ about Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup

Here are some top questions you might have about these muffins:

Are these blueberry muffins with maple syrup healthy for you?

Even though these muffins are naturally sweetened, I wouldn’t say they’re “healthy”. They’re definitely a healthier alternative to what you might buy at a bakery or at the grocery store, but they’re still not a health food that you should indulge in. Just like everything, eating these in moderation are the way to go.

Is naturally sweetened better for you than artificial sweeteners?

Natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners have the same purpose: to sweeten! However, sweeteners of course come with a price. They can cause the risk of tooth decay, obesity, poor nutrition, and other health related issues. Artificial sweeteners come with even more risks, like depression, headaches, increase risk of cancer, and can trick your body into not realizing that it’s eating, and thus increase your appetite. Natural sweeteners usually at least come with a great bonus of vitamins and minerals. That means if you’re going to be eating something sweet, at least you’re getting some nutritional value out of it as well.

Can you use frozen blueberries?

Yes! In fact, I recommend using frozen blueberries for this recipe. By adding the blueberries frozen, the burst of steam from the thawing blueberries lifts the batter, giving it that beautiful dome you’re hoping for in a blueberry muffin.

How do I keep blueberries from sinking to the bottom?

Again, frozen blueberries is the key here! By adding the frozen blueberries to the dough, you’ll see the other ingredients quickly solidify and harden. This leaves you with a thick, almost solid dough, meaning that the blueberries aren’t going to sink! If you’re using fresh blueberries, a quick toss in flour before adding them to the batter can help prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

Can I substitute another sweetener for the maple syrup?

You can substitute honey or another liquid sweetener for the maple syrup. I don’t recommend using cane sugar or any granulated sugar as it will mess with the liquid to solid ratio.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2/3 cup maple syrup (learn how to make your own small batches of maple syrup here)
• 1/4 cup melted butter- use salted butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla (we use our homemade vanilla, which we love! If you love vanilla, learn to make your own. You’ll save tons of money each year! Here’s our recipe).
• 1 tsp. cinnamon (this is such an amazing compliment to the blueberries!)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups frozen blueberries (use frozen. See my notes above on why! Yes, this will probably work with fresh, but frozen is going to give you the best results)
• 1/2 cup milk

Materials You’ll Need:

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Large Spoon
• Rubber Spatula
• 12 cup muffin tin
• Cupcake/muffin liners
• Cooling Rack
• Oven Mitts (aren’t these cute?)
• Apron (this one is SO adorable!!)

Directions for Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a muffin pan by greasing it with butter or coconut oil, or by adding liners to the pan.
3. In your mixing bowl, mix together your eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir and mix well.
4. Stir in baking powder and baking soda.
5. Next, add your flour. You’ll want to just stir enough so that it’s mixed. Don’t overmix the batter.
6. Fold in your blueberries, 1 cup at a time. You’ll notice that the dough will stiffen up and harden a bit as the coconut oil and butter return to their solid forms. This is a good thing! Just be sure to evenly distribute the blueberries.
7. As best as you can, stir in the 1/2 cup of milk. You’re just giving your batter a little extra liquid here.
8. Fill each of the prepared muffin tins half of the way full. If you have extra batter, distribute it evenly amongst the muffins.
9. Bake the muffins for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick (or butter knife) comes out clean and the muffin tops spring back when you touch them.
10. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then place them on a baking sheet to cool. You can enjoy them warm or wait until they’re cool to eat!
11. Store the muffins in an airtight container for 3-5 days (I really don’t think they will last that long….)

Make sure you save this recipe!

Looking for more naturally sweetened treats and breakfast ideas?

Try these naturally sweetened peanut butter granola bars or the best sourdough chocolate chip pancakes!

What are your go-to snack recipes?