CREAM CHEESE GINGERBREAD MUFFINS

Another time I made them.

These muffins are light and cakey in texture. They do become dense upon chilling, however, they are best served at room temperature. These muffins contain quite a lot of cream cheese which is unusual and what makes them more unusual is that they are light-tasting at room temperature.

These are great for the holidays with those warm gingerbread flavors that are so cozy and a must for this time of year. Instead of having a cream cheese filling or frosting, the cream cheese is built right into these muffins. If you like, you can simply dust the tops of the muffins with a powdered sweetener before serving, although I didn't find that necessary, as these were for us and not for company.

This is an older recipe of mine, so I used ground almonds, but I have also recently made them with almond flour; both work. I don't use vital wheat gluten anymore, but obviously these are great with it.

You can increase the molasses to 1 tsp if you like that rich flavor. It also helps mimic brown sugar; a trick that many low-carbers incorporate into their low-carb baking. One needs to use so little and it does not add much in the way of carbs.

The batter is thick and tasty; haha, how do I know? You can use your own sweeteners; just taste the batter and make sure it tastes sweet enough to you. Because the batter is thick, I would suggest using a mixer or food processor. A whisk would never do the trick, besides the fact that the cream cheese needs to be processed until smooth first.

These gingerbread muffins are not only low-carb but they are most unusual in their ingredients. This mixture is different and yet the muffins are light and airy. Try them and you will be so surprised. Of course, refrigerated they will be denser. I simply nuke one for 10 seconds and it is like freshly baked. The spices are on point with the cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves.

Only 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil in these Gingerbread muffins, as there is enough fat in the cream cheese and almond flour to make these muffins just perfect. You can add a bit more olive oil, but it is not necessary. If you like you can use liners in your muffin pan, especially if your muffin pan is old.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened (250 g)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups ground almonds (375 mL)
1/2 cup Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR (125 mL)
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten, OR (75 mL)

Keto Bake Mix (2/3 cup; 150 mL))
1/2 cup powdered sweetener of choice (25 mL)
1/4 cup Da Vinci® Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup (50 mL)
1 tbsp olive oil (15 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
1 tsp cinnamon (5 mL)
1/2 tsp ground ginger (2 mL)
1/2 tsp ground cloves (2 mL)
1/2 tsp molasses (optional) (2 mL)
2 tsp baking powder (10 mL)
1/2 tsp baking soda (2 mL)

Instructions:

In food processor or in bowl with electric mixer, process cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs; process. Add ground almonds, Gluten-Free Bake Mix 2, OR vital wheat gluten, OR Keto Bake Mix, powdered sweetener, Da Vinci® Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup, olive oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, molasses (if using), baking powder and baking soda; process until well combined and most lumps of cream cheese have been incorporated.

Fill 12 greased muffin cups about half to two-thirds full. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.

Da Vinci® Alternative: Use water and sweetener of choice to taste.

Yield: 12 muffins

1 muffin

172.9 calories

8.0 g protein

14.0 g fat

0 g fiber

3.4 g net carbs

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