This better-for-you blueberry muffin is low in sugar, rich in fiber, and brimming with juicy blueberries. Hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts) aren’t just packed with omega-3s and fiber; they create a nice, crunchy topping for the muffin’s dome. For a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, you could swap out the blueberries for chocolate chips. Choose high-quality dark chocolate to get the most brain-healthy flavanols.
Look for oat flour in the gluten-free baking section of the grocery store. Or, it is easy to make your own. Fresh oat flour has a wonderful, nutty aroma, and it costs a fraction of store-bought. For 1 cup oat flour, place 1½ cups rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats) in a blender, turn it up to medium-high, and pulverize into a powder for about 30 seconds.
¼cupplus 1 tbsp hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts)
2tspbaking powder
1tbspground flaxseeds
1tspcinnamon
½tspkosher salt
1cuppumpkin puree (from a can)
⅔cupcoconut palm sugar
½cupextra-virgin olive oil
1tsppure vanilla extract
1tspalmond extract
2large eggs
2cupsblueberries, fresh or frozen (but not defrosted)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oat and almond flours, ¼ cup of the hemp hearts, the baking powder, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt; set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, olive oil, vanilla, and almond extracts. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones until just combined.
Gently fold 1⅓ cups of the blueberries into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
Divide the remaining ⅔ cup blueberries over the tops of the muffins and gently press them into the batter. Sprinkle with the additional tablespoon of hemp hearts.
Bake for 38 to 42 minutes for standard muffins, or until a cake tester or small wooden skewer inserted into muffins comes out clean. For mini muffins, check for doneness starting at 32 minutes.
These muffins are best the day they are made or the next day. Warm day-old muffins in the oven at 300ºF for 10 minutes. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Note: To make these muffins whole-wheat/almond instead, swap in 1 cup whole-wheat flour for the oat flour, and omit the ground flaxseeds.
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Created by Annie Fenn, M.D.
Dr. Annie Fenn is a physician and chef who is dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease prevention. NeuroReserve is delighted to partner with Annie to be a part of our advisory team and also to develop brain healthy recipes for Brain Table. Annie is the founder of Brain Health Kitchen, an online resource providing innovative whole foods-based recipes and dietary recommendations that equip people to cultivate resilient, healthy, and nourished brains for themselves and their families. She’s also founder of the Brain Health Kitchen Cooking School, the only school of its kind entirely devoted to teaching how to cook through the lens of brain health. Annie is a frequent lecturer on the leading evidence regarding foods and dietary patterns that reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline. She believes that cooking is the best way she knows how, as a physician, to radically improve health.
