Glazed Lemon Chia Seed Protein Muffins

I’ve always loved lemon poppy seed muffins.  They’re sweet yet tangy, and the seeds give them a satisfying crunch.  I remember growing up, the bagel shop in my hometown had a glazed version I’d often order when we did breakfast for dinner.  I recently got a random urge to recreate them.  Although I’m not sure that the muffins at Bagel Work’s had enough nutrients to constitute an entire meal, these ones do!

With egg whites, ricotta and protein powder, these muffins provide all the protein you need to start your day.  Instead of poppy seeds, I used chia seeds, rich in Omega-3s, fiber and antioxidants.  The taste is similar, and they give the muffin that awesome crunch I love.  I also am really glad I used fresh lemon zest; the lovely fresh lemon flavor really comes through!

As all chefs know, sometimes it takes a couple tries to perfect a recipe.  This is a great example.  These muffins are a riff on the blueberry protein muffins I shared about a month ago.  Although those babies tasted phenomenal, I could tell the recipe wasn’t quite right by the way the muffins sunk in on themselves as they cooked (creating the “wrinkly old man” effect, as I called it).  This time I added more baking powder (a leavening agent), and also added baking soda since the lemon is acidic.  As you can see, these ones held up much better!

Glazed Lemon Chia Seed Protein Muffins

A Messy Kitchen Original

• 1 scoop cake batter protein powder
• 6 T flour of choice (I actually used gluten-free Ancient Grain pancake mix)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 egg whites
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 T chia seeds
• 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• A dash of cinnamon, a pinch of salt and Stevia, to taste
• Additional protein powder and almond milk for the glaze

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a greased muffin pan and cook at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Refrigerate if you aren’t going to eat right away.

For the Glaze: Mix together cake batter protein powder and almond milk until you get your desired consistency for a glaze.

Makes 6 Medium Muffins

Nutrition: 90 calories, 10g carbs, 2g fat, 8g protein, 2g fiber

Johanna