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Coffee Cake Protein Breakfast Muffins

June 7, 2020 by Lauren Waterman Leave a Comment

Is coffee cake not the quintessential treat to enjoy with a hot cuppa Joe in the morning? Now add protein powder and sweeten with dates, and you have healthy, perfect breakfast muffins that you can enjoy any day of the week.

After making endless breads and sweet treats throughout quarantine, I thought it was time I shift my focus somewhere a little healthier. Plus I’ve been eating my cookie creations for breakfast pretty consistently, so having a healthier alternative around to munch on when I wake up wasn’t the worst idea. These muffins are effortlessly delicious, all while helping you stay on your protein gain. I mean game.


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The Protein Powder

I am a huge fan of protein powder. I didn’t used to be, because I figured I was getting enough protein in my meals, so I shouldn’t need any extra. I didn’t realize that some of the times I was mindlessly eating or craving food when I wasn’t really hungry, meant that I actually wasn’t absorbing enough protein. I use Nuzest brand protein powder now and I couldn’t speak more highly of it. The flavors are delicious and diverse, and are wonderful snuck into oatmeal’s, smoothies, shakes, pretty much everything I have tried it in. If you would like to give it a try as well, here is the link to their online shop. If you use my code chickpeandherb at check out, you can get 15% of your purchase.*

They have flavors like chocolate, vanilla matcha, strawberry, chai turmeric + maca, and coffee (which I just stir right into my coffee in the morning). If you’d like to check out a few other recipes I used my protein powder in, check out my list of smoothies and these delicious maple vanilla pecan cookies that hit the spot.

How to make coffee cake protein Breakfast Muffins:


How to Prepare the Crumb Topping

This is a fairly simple recipe. Also remember that if any part seems complicated, you can check out my ‘Substitutions’ section below for ways to even further simplify these tasty breakfast treats.

Cube vegan butter, and put in a small microwave safe bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds until it liquefies, and then mix in flour and sugar. You can also add in a little bit more protein powder if you would like some here. It’s a good idea to make the crumble topping first so it can firm up, and not be a hot gooey mess when you add it to the to of your muffins. Stir this mixture gently, making sure to leave the big clusters of flour and butter – those are everyone’s favorite.

How to Make the Coffee Cake Batter

As you let the crumb topping harden, you can prepare the batter. I used dates for a lower number on glycemic index, but see my list of substitutions below if you don’t have dates handy. Shred 1 cup of pitted dates in the food processor until they are chopped finely.

Add in 1/2 cup of your favorite protein powder, I used coffee coconut by Nuzest. Add flour, baking powder, salt, packed brown sugar, cinnamon, nondairy milk, water and blend until smooth. Remember that brown sugar is measured when it’s been packed, or pushed tightly into a measuring cup, whereas things like flour are never compressed to be measured. I used oat milk for these, but any plant based milk will work just fine!


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This is a thicker mixture, so you only need to blend it for a minute or two because over-mixing can cause these to come out very dense.
Pop your batter into reusable silicone molds (paper wrappers for a muffins are so last decade hehe), press a tablespoon or so of the coffee crumb topping onto the tops of each batter filled cup, and bake at 350° for 14 minutes, but check after 10 as everyone’s oven is different.

Substitutions and Notes:

  • If you want to skip the vegan butter, sub in melted coconut oil for the crumb topping. It will give a slight coconut flavor, but if you’re a fan of coconut, it’s a great whole foods alternative.

  • Use almond flour to make these protein muffins gluten free.

  • I often swap out sugar and use monk fruit or stevia sweetener in its place. It works for a 1:1 replacement ratio, and is way lower on the glycemic index if you want to swap it out of the crumble topping. On that note, I used dates to sweeten my muffins, but agave, maple syrup, monk fruit, or even sugar will work in the muffin batter.

  • If you don’t have a reusable silicone muffin tin, just pour the batter into a glass or metal baking dish and make an old fashioned coffee cake and cut into bars to serve.

Coffee Cake Protein Breakfast Muffins

Coffee Cake Protein Breakfast Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins

Author: Lauren Waterman, Chickpea & Herb
Prep time: 10 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 25 M
Is coffee cake not the quintessential treat to enjoy with a hot cuppa Joe in the morning? Now add protein powder and sweeten with dates, and you have healthy, perfect breakfast muffins that you can enjoy any day of the week.

Ingredients:

Muffin Batter
  • 1/2 cup protein
  • 2 1/2 flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dates
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cup water
Crumb Topping
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 sugar

Instructions:

  1. Make the topping first. Melt vegan butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
  2. Mix with flour and sugar in a smaller bowl. You can also add in a little bit more protein powder if you would like. Stir, allowing coarse lumps to remain. Set aside.
  3. Blend dates in the food processor until they are chopped finely. If you don’t have dates, you can replace with 1/2 cup of agave, maple syrup, or even coconut sugar.
  4. Add in 1/2 cup of protein powder, I used coffee coconut by Nuzest.
  5. Next, mix in flour, baking powder, salt, packed brown sugar, cinnamon, cup nondairy milk,  water and blend until smooth. This is a thicker mixture, so you only need to blend it for a minute or two because overmixing can cause these to come out very dense.
  6. Scoop batter into reusable silicone molds. Press a tablespoon or so of the crumble topping onto the tops of each batter filled cup, and bake at 350° for 14 minutes. Check on these muffins after 10 minutes of baking as everyone’s oven is different.

Notes:

If you want to skip the vegan butter, sub in melted coconut oil for the crumb topping.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @chickpea_and_herb #recipea
Created using The Recipes Generator

Serving Suggestions:

I love these coffee cake muffins with just a thin slab of cold vegan butter, but my husband got very into toasting them and drizzling with warm peanut butter.

They’re also amazing with homemade jam, vegan cream cheese, or fresh fruit.

Storage:

These stayed good in an airtight container for about a week. They’ll stay perfect in the freezer as well for up to a month; just take one out and toast whenever you get the craving.


Vegan brown butter sage garlic cream fusilli pasta || I’ve been seeing a lot of pasta Sundays going around the Internet lately, so I decided to join in! we spent the day working on house projects and gardening, then finished with some yummy food on the grill, which I will add to my stories now. I’m going to leave you with this 🔥 pasta from earlier in the week that was a total hit in my house. 
Here is an easy dinner that is a sure fire way to get in all of your veggies, and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I’ve included the recipe below in case you want to hit save so you have it on hand for later.
1/2 cup onion, diced
6 to 10 clothes of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil (read below for oil free option)
1 tbsp dried sage
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I used @earthbalance)
1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced finally
3/4 cup baby button mushrooms, have
1/2 cup broccoli, diced finally
1 cup kale, shredded
1/4 cup frozen peas 
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced finally
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast or vegan mozzarella
🔷 Begin boiling water in large pot. Be sure to add a pinch of salt to the water- this is for flavor and also keeps your pasta from sticking together.
🔷Once water reaches a boil, add pasta. Dice onions, garlic, and sauté with sage over medium heat in a large pan for 5 minutes. If you are oil free, you can sauté in veggie stock or aquafaba. 🔷 Add in butter at this stage, and diced mushrooms and peppers.
🔷 Add and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, kale, and peas, as well as spices.
🔷When pasta is finished cooking, drain all of the water except for 1/2 cup.
🔷Add 1/2 cup starchy water along with pasta to the large pan with veggies in it. 🔷Add in nutritional yeast or mozzarella at this point and stir until the sauce thickens. 🔷 I topped mine with hot pepper flakes and parsley, but you can also top with more cheese, pinenuts, fresh tomatoes, etc. We also used beyond sausage or protein, but this pasta would be awesome with white beans, chickpeas, or tempeh. Simply cook them in the pot along with all of the veggies to absorb that flavor. Let me know if you try this!

Homemade veggie burgers with red pepper jam and crispy Brussels sprouts || Who doesn’t love a black bean sweet potato burger? These had a great texture and held together perfectly on the grill. I topped them with vegan feta, red onions, collard greens, vegan mayo, and a red pepper jam that I made by boiling down some older looking red peppers, adding a pinch of sugar and @kartago_harissa. ✨I am including the recipe for the burgers below in case anybody would like to click save to have on hand for later.
▫️2 cups roasted sweet potatoes
▫️1 1/4 cup cooked rice
▫️1/2 cup black beans, drained
▫️1 cup roasted cauliflower
▫️1 cup roasted eggplant
▫️1/2 cup peas
▫️1/2 cups corn kernels
▫️1 cup walnuts
▫️1 teaspoon liquid aminos or soy sauce
▫️3/4 teaspoon salt
▫️1/3 teaspoon pepper
▫️1 teaspoon paprika
▫️1 tablespoon flax seeds
▫️1 tablespoon garlic powder
roast the eggplant, cauliflower, chopped sweet potatoes on a baking sheet at 400° for 30 minutes. I used leftover rice from takeout, but you can boil rice and use that if you’d like. Toss all ingredients into a food processor or blender, then form into patties and bake at 350° for 25 minutes in the oven or on the grill. 
For the brussels sprouts the recipe is: ▫️about 15 brussels sprouts cut in half
▫️2 teaspoons olive oil
▫️1/2 teaspoon salt
▫️1/2 teaspoon pepper
▫️1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
▫️1/4 teaspoon oregano
▫️1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
▫️1 teaspoon onion powder
▫️1 teaspoon brown sugar
Toss in olive oil and spices, then pan crisp or roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 400°.

20 minute healthy sweet potato cookies || Happy Fridaaaaaay!! Eat some cookies y’all, they’re good for you 😘 Link for the #recipea is in the bio.

Sun-dried tomato, cucumber, and chickpea picnic salad || Everyone keeps asking what they should bring to barbecues this summer, and I think this might be your answer. This is a super simple salad to rustle up, doesn’t spoil in the heat, and tastes delicious. I’m including the recipe in case you want to click save to have it on hand next time you’re headed to a cookout. 
2 cups cooked Farro (or rice, orzo, quinoa, couscous, etc.)
2 cups cooked white beans
1 cup artichoke hearts, halved
1/3 cup onion, diced
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 cups cucumbers, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
I will have more step-by-step directions up on the blog tomorrow! Does this salad seem like something you would be interested in? What kinds of summer barbecue foods would you like recipes for? Enjoy your grilling!

Homemade sourdough with almond butter, Maca powder, kiwi, strawberry, and hemp seeds || So I think I missed toast Tuesday, but honestly every day is toast Tuesday in my house because I’ve been on a serious sourdough kick. If you check out my website, I have a ton of awesome bread recipes, but no sourdough recipes yet because I’m relatively new to the game. But honestly I’m in love. One of my friends dropped off a sourdough starter during quarantine, and there’s been no looking back since. I topped this toast with some almond butter I had mixed with @shopkarenberrios Maca powder. If you guys aren’t familiar with Maca, it’s a delicious Peruvian super food full of health benefits. It’s rich in antioxidants, and is a great source of protein, minerals, amino acids and is great for energy support, and has a rich nutty flavor.

Skinny sip tea with forget-me-not, hibiscus, Jasmine, rose, rosemary, and lemon|| Are you guys team tea? I remember having tea at my grandma’s house throughout my childhood, iced in the summer and hot in the winter, so it always carries a special memory for me. I love perusing tea shops on vacations and bringing home exotic flavors of loose leaf to remember the trip. @essencesiptea was so kind to let me try their incredible teas. This Skinny Sip tea clears toxins, reduces fluid retention, alleviates indigestion, reduces bloating, and targets existing fats. It uses traditional Chinese medicine principles and balances with natural herbs to nourish and cleanse your digestive system. Plus it is gorgeous to look at, which you know I’m all about. It tastes floral and delicate, and I am in love. If you’d like to try this tea, you can use my code chickpea_and_herb10 for 10% off your first order. #takeasip

Vegan chickpea ‘tuna’ on homemade potato bread, #recipea on the blog now || Such an easy, protein filled lunch, that’s even kid approved! Check the link in my bio to see how to make this meal. We had a great weekend celebrating Father’s Day. We drove to the mountains to visit my family, and saw some of my girlfriends from high school Friday night. We then went on a really great hike with the family on Saturday and did a bunch of grilling, because how else do you please dads? Then yesterday we saw my husband’s family and picked lots of fresh blueberries. Any suggestions for what I should do with them? How were your weekends, what did you do to celebrate?

Grilled apricot and okra kale salad with blackberries || Happy summer solstice! To celebrate, some of my foodie friends and I have gotten together and created some gorgeous summer dishes for you to feast your eyes on. Follow the hashtag #plantbasedsolstice to see more inspired summer meals that really celebrate the season! For this dish, I picked kale fresh from the garden, and then grilled apricots, okra, and corn with the husk on (let me know if you would like a tutorial on this!). I then added fresh blackberries, fresh red onion, vegan ricotta cheese, celery, kale sprouts, and avocado. I topped it with homemade seitan for protein and drizzled the whole thing with a vinaigrette made from olive oil, oat milk, poppyseeds, maple syrup, and garlic. This was such a fresh and fun meal, and I could eat it again and again. What are your favorite summer dishes?

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: breakfast, breakfast muffin, coffee cake, coffee cake muffin, dessert muffins, healthy, healthy muffins, healthy vegan breakfast, healthy vegan muffins, muffins, protein, protein dessert, protein muffin, protein powder, protein powder muffin, vegan, vegan breakfast

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