Halloween and party time can be fun without the need for food coloring and other weird ingredients. These green monster muffins pack in a whole bag of baby spinach but remain absolutely delicious. You will be surprised what kids will eat when they get to decorate it with a scary face. Let them go wild and eat their greens at the same time! They won't even know there's spinach in there unless you tell them.
Green Monster Muffins
I had WAY too much fun decorating these muffins. And the kids weren't even home the first time I made them...
They were super excited when they got home from school and got to munch down on a creepy faced monster muffin. They didn't even ask what went in there to make them green.
I mean my kids are pretty clued in that mummy sneaks veggies into everything, but usually, they at least try and guess!
These green monster muffins are just perfect for a fun Halloween treat. They pack a whole bag of baby spinach in there but don't worry they don't taste all spinachy. You may smell a little bit of spinach when they first start baking, but after the first 10 minutes that will be replaced with the smell of yummy fresh muffins.
How To Puree The Spinach For Extra Green Monster Muffins
Just pop 250g of baby spinach (a regular-sized bag you get from the supermarket) into a high-speed blender, add one or two tablespoons of water and puree until smooth.
Depending on the power in your blender you may have to add another tablespoon of water to get everything to come together.
Make sure you get a nice smooth mixture. You want it to be evenly distributed throughout the batter without any tell-tale bits ruining the whole experience and giving the game away to the kids.
How To Decorate Your Fun Halloween Green Muffins
Go to town!
I like to keep it healthier but still fun, so I do tend to splurge and grab some of those googly eyes. You can usually find 'better' for you versions online that don't have so much crap in them but don't expect them to have amazing ingredients. You could always make your own if you have the time (I tried that once but I don't use them enough to warrant a whole batch)!
I use melted dark chocolate to hold all of the ingredients on the muffins.
Think:
- mashed-up wheat cereals for fuzzy hair or a monobrow,
- currants, raisins or dried wild blueberries for the mouth,
- big sunflower seeds for sharp teeth.
- pumpkin seeds
- melted dark chocolate in a piping bag
Go through your cupboards and see what other ingredients you can find and just have fun.
This makes a great little activity for the kids to get them in the mood for Halloween.
Need More Fun Halloween Recipes?
Of course you do!
Check these out:
I also have a great little round-up here featuring a bunch of 'healthier-for-you' Halloween goodies: Healthy Halloween Treats For The Whole Family.
If you have any fun treats you make for Halloween let me know in the comments!
Recipe
Halloween Spinach Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup pureed spinach (see notes)
- ½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil melted
- 2 tablespoon whole milk (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- assorted ingredients to decorate see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray of choice or butter (I use fractionated coconut oil)
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, pureed spinach, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, milk, and vanilla2 eggs, ¾ cup pureed spinach, ½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt, ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon whole milk
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt2 cups whole wheat flour, ½ cup coconut sugar, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well until a batter forms. It is quite a thick batter but if it seems too thick add more milk as needed 1 tablespoon at a time
- Pour the batter into the muffin tin so that each one is about ⅔ full
- Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack before removing from the muffin tin and serving
- Store in an airtight container or freeze for later
To Decorate
- Use your imagination to decorate. I use a combination of mashed up wheat cereals, googly eyes, currants, pumpkin seeds for teeth and melted dark chocolate.assorted ingredients to decorate
Notes
- Spinach: to puree the spinach just pop raw spinach into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add some water to get it to come together. Add 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a smooth mixture.
- Decorate: use whatever you have in the cupboard to decorate. I like to use googly eyes, currants, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, crushed wheat cereal, and melted dark chocolate to stick them all on.
- Store: allow muffins to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. Can also be stored in the fridge, however, they do tend to lose a little of their moisture.
- Freeze: These muffins freeze well. Allow to cool completely and freeze in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-friendly container or large Ziploc bag. They should freeze well for about 3 months if stored correctly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Audrey Stewart says
My kids want to make these green monster muffins. You have so many great recipes for Halloween.
Donna says
Thank you!! My kids are huge Halloween fans, so always trying to make it fun for them and making sure my son isn't missing out (he has a bad reaction to food coloring) 🙂
Jenni says
This is such a cute idea! I love that its a healthy treat, too, and not just candy! My girls loved making these (and eating them!) so much!
Donna says
I mean I totally let them have their fair share of candy during the season but it's nice to have something a bit healthier to enjoy as well 🙂 Especially if it contains some hidden veg
Tayo says
I absolutely love this! What a cute and excellent way to sneak veggies into my kid's snacks.
Donna says
Right?!? And when they taste yummy and have a cute face they don't even care that they are green 🙂
wilhelmina says
This is such a great idea! I love using the color from the spinach and the added veggie boost!
Donna says
It works so well!
Christine says
I love that these muffins are so tasty yet totally healthy! And I like that the decorations are totally customizable.
Donna says
Makes it fun, especially for little ones!