Muffins can sometimes seem decadent—like eating cake at breakfast. We are all about cake at breakfast (This coffee cake is decadent. This coffee cake is healthier.)—but no sugar added muffins walk the line. Here’s a no sugar added muffins recipe for those mornings you want something sweet with a healthier twist.

No Sugar Added Muffins

In baking, sugar does more than merely make something sweet. It also helps build structure in baked goods. All-purpose flour mixes with both baking powder and baking soda as extra insurance for fluffy muffins, while the eggs add protein.

When you’re first trying to eat refined sugar-free, it requires adjustment. This recipe depicts a place to start thinking about sweeteners differently. Three things are at work in this no sugar added muffins recipe: two kinds of fruit and an extract. Dried figs offer a concentrated sweetness—as fresh figs dry out, their sweetness deepens. White grape juice adds an extra layer of fruit flavoring, moistening the flour. Finally, while vanilla doesn’t have sugar in it, it has the flavor of tasting sweet—a trick bakers employ and tea blenders too.

Flavor Boosters

Back to the figs, the type of Sun-Maid or Orchard Choice Fig you use can impact the overall flavor in the no sugar added muffins. Use Mission Figs for a bolder taste, more reminiscent of the childhood fruit cookie. Golden Figs bring a delicately sweet, tangy, and nutty flavor.

Two kinds of almonds boost the nuttiness of the muffins. Sliced almonds to garnish the tops also toast while the muffins bake, while almond extract infuses nut flavor into the batter and therefore, every bite.

Finally, five-spice powder adds warming spice. Typically called Chinese five spice, the blend includes cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, and as the final spice—it can vary between Sichuan peppercorns or ginger for a bit of heat.

Naturally Sweet Almond Muffins with California Figs

Trying to cut down on sugar? Figs add natural sweetness to this no sugar added muffins recipe. So, bake a batch of Almond Fig No Sugar Added Muffins.

Nutrition

Servings muffins

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp five spice powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup white grape juice
8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
2 eggs large
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Pulse ½ cup almonds in food processor until finely ground, about 10 pulses; transfer to large bowl. Whisk in flour, baking powder, baking soda, five-spice powder, and salt.
In separate bowl, whisk grape juice, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract together. Using rubber spatula, stir grape juice mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in ½ cup almonds and figs.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup almonds. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
Let muffins cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Why This Recipe Works: Almonds, with their natural sweetness and refined flavor, seemed like a perfect starting point for a no-sugar added muffin. To ensure that our muffins were chock-full of almond flavor, we started by stirring 1 ¼ cups of sliced almonds into the batter. Although the almonds added pleasant nuttiness, the lack of sugar meant that the muffins were a little tough and dense. Grinding some of the almonds and whisking them into the flour gave the muffins a more open crumb and slightly lighter, more tender texture. Even though we didn’t want to add sugar, the muffins needed to be sweeter. To avoid muddying the almonds’ delicate flavor, we decided to use no-sugar-added white grape juice, which provided sweetness without imparting a distinct flavor of its own. The muffins were improving, but tasters still wanted a bit more sweetness. California Dried Figs fit the bill, and chopping them ensured they were evenly distributed giving us bursts of sweetness in every bite. Finally, we employed a couple of ultra flavorful ingredients that helped to trick the tongue’s perception of sweetness: five-spice powder and almond extract. Do not use light white grape juice as it contains an artificial sweetener, called sucralose, that can negatively affect the flavor of the muffins.