I don't know about you, but with two toddlers and a hungry man with a penchant for his kids snacks, I always have to have A LOT of snacks on hand, and these little blueberry mini muffins are just perfect as they can be stored in the freezer.
Portable snacks are definitely something that become so much more important come summer. With more activities on the books like hiking, day trips and afternoons by the pool, I find it so important to have things on hand that can be grabbed and packed into a little cool bag. I tend to whip up a couple batches of mini muffins at the start of the month and freeze a few big Ziploc bags full. On our way out the door I will throw some in the snack-pack and they will have defrosted by the time little bellies start to rumble.
Warning: mini muffins do tend to disappear a lot more quickly than their regular sized cousins - one pop and they are gone. They are perfect when you just need a little bite to keep you going, and don't want to invest in a whole big muffin. Or when the kids are popping in and out of the splash pad and just need a little bit of sustenance to see them through until dinner.
What's so good about these blueberry mini muffins?
Well I am glad you asked. They are
- naturally sweetened
- kid friendly
- freezer friendly
- packed full of fruit
- perfect for lunch boxes
- delicious
There you go! If blueberries are not in season on your side of the world, or if they are still a bit on the expensive side, then you can definitely get away with using frozen berries. For this batch I used some frozen organic wild blueberries from TJ's, and they did the job just perfectly. No one even noticed the difference.
Personally, when it comes to baked goods like muffins, I only tend to use fresh berries if I managed to pick up a lot at the end of the season for a good price. I keep the fresh berries for eating as is, or for desserts where you will really notice the difference.
I hope you love these little freezer friendly apple vanilla and blueberry mini muffins as much as we do! Happy eating.
You may also love these recipes:
Freezer Friendly Apple Vanilla and Blueberry Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray (I use fractionated coconut oil)
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined
- In a second bowl, combine the butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined
- Add the applesauce and blueberries and stir until just combined
- Fill each cup in the pan to about ¾ full and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
PJ says
These muffins were delicious. I did need to make one substitution and used one cup of gluten free all purpose flour in place of the whole wheat flour. The recipe turned out perfectly. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It's a keeper and is a new family favorite.
Erin says
I am beyond impressed with these- I added a little bit of brown sugar but I’m sure it wasn’t needed! I also added more blueberries and some ground flax seed and I used whole wheat flour. These are so delicious that my family of six ate all before they cooled so nothing for me to freeze. Guess it’s time for another batch!
Donna says
Haha I am happy to hear that, sounds like fresh muffins in our house - they never last long past the getting out of the oven stage 🙂
Rosanne Robinson says
Ummmmm these muffins look and sound super yummy, love the ingredients and they sound easy to make. Thx very much for this recipe.
Holly says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. My two sons and I made these this morning, and together we polished off eleven regular-size muffins. Slightly shameful, I suppose, but the muffins were irresistibly good. We'll be making these again for sure!
Donna1 says
Hahaha I am glad to hear we aren't the only ones to finish off an entire batch of fresh muffins 🙂
Tonia Mason says
I am required to provide a healthy peanut free snack once monthly for my son's kindergarten class. I believe this recipe will be a winner so I will be preparing these in the next couple of days. I do have a question though. Could apple butter be substituted for the apple sauce, and if so what kind of adjustment should be made to the amount used? Thank you for this lovely recipe!
Donna1 says
Hi Tonia, I haven't used apple butter in this recipe, but I am sure it would work just fine. I would just add the normal amount and then a little bit more if the mixture seems a little on the dry side. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Shannon says
Have you ever tried without the maple syrup? Want to try making these for my 9 month old but don't want them super sweet
Donna1 says
I haven't tried them without, but I am sure they would be sweet enough for a 9 month old without! Let me know how you go 🙂
Andrea says
How do you freeze these? Once they have cooled? I was planning on FoodSavering them how long would they last?
Donna1 says
Yes once they have cooled down is the perfect time to freeze. I have never used a FoodSaver so I am not sure how long they would last with that process, but I usually keep frozen muffins for about a month or so.
Blithe Raines says
Heavenly...MAKE THESE!
Jordi says
How to I change this to do regular size muffins??
Donna1 says
You would just need to adjust the cooking time for regular sized muffins. I would guess about 18-20 minutes should do it, just check them with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through before removing from the oven! Enjoy
Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday says
These gorgeous little muffins tick all the boxes for me. Mini, naturally sweetened and they contain blueberries! They would definitely disappear in no time at our house!
Donna1 says
Oh thanks Jennifer!! Haha, they don't last long around here at all 🙂
Jessica {Swanky Recipes} says
I bought a bunch of blueberries from the store yesterday and am now torn between this and a blueberry crisp. I might just have to make these, yum!
Donna1 says
Ooh yum, now I am craving a blueberry crisp 🙂 Anything with blueberries is a yes around here!
Renee says
Freezing muffins is such a great way to do it! It keeps me from eating the whole batch in two days. Question about using frozen blueberries. Do you use them while still frozen or do you let them thaw first? I always use fresh, but the one time I tried frozen I ended up with purple batter when the blueberries broke open. It was a beautiful color, but not the look I wanted.
Donna1 says
I use them when still frozen, and pop them into the batter right at the last minute, right before going into the oven. If I let them thaw (even a little bit), everything turns purple and gets way too moist. Oh I am right there with you - if I don't put them in the oven they all end up in my belly 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
For breakfast, for mid-morning snack, for after school, for all day long!
Donna1 says
Yes! 🙂
Nicole says
I love making my own applesauce and think that it sounds great in these! Love anything that can go in the freezer -- hate wasting yummy food!
Donna1 says
Me too! I have been trying so hard to be less wasteful (although I have to make extra batches of these to have any leftover for the freezer 🙂 )