Lunchbox Muffins Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on this site, I may earn a commission.
Read my Privacy Policy.
These lunch muffins are a fun way to keep lunch interesting for the kids!
I remember when I was a kid, the best part of bringing lunch from home was when I would find a sweet treat in my lunch box. But even back then, my mom and grandmother were all about making sure I got a good, home-cooked meal. Even in said lunch box. This was not always a happy thing for me. But the rare and occasional sweets were always something I hoped for. Something I looked forward to.
Now that I have my own munchkin, I see the same hopeful look in his eyes when he checks to see what I’m packing in his lunch for the day.
And while I’m usually a pretty strict mom, I hate seeing that look of disappointment on his face when he doesn’t get something he likes. So I decided to create something that I would feel better about giving him. Something that is mildly sweet without giving him such a large sugar rush that he can’t sit still in class. So I kept the sugar relatively low as well as the portions small by making these mini muffins.
They are perfectly sized for a lunch box! They don’t take up much room, they are totally kid-sized and give my lil’ guy just enough sweet to put a smile on his face. Yay, mom!!
More Healthy Muffin Recipe
Lunchbox Muffins Recipe Card
Lunchbox Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Mini muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup oil
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (affiliate link)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup cherries (pitted and chopped – or any fruit you prefer)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the cherries in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pulse in the cherries and spoon the batter into a lined mini muffin pan.
- Bake at 350 F. for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Cool completely before removing liners from muffins.
I was curious what other fruits you would recommend if we wanted to substitute something else for the cherries?
Melody – Blueberries would be wonderful. Raspberries, apples, even chunks of banana if you cut them up small. Although you may have to cook them a little longer with the banana.
These are delicious! I used apples instead of cherries. My kids love them!
It was kind of messy using my ninja blender. I’m wondering if they would turn out as well if I just mixed by hand?
Nancy – I’m sure they’d be fine. I did it in a ninja too and didn’t have a problem, but your blender may be different. I would just be sure to mix really well to get the batter very smooth. Other than that, there’s no reason you couldn’t do this by hand. Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I have only a regular size muffin pan. Do you think they would come out just as good? How long should I bake them?
Rosanna – I’m sure they would be fine. I would bake them for the same time and then check them. If they aren’t done, Keep baking and check about every 5 minutes until done.
Is there something I can use instead of apple sauce?
Jules – Applesauce is typically the replacement for oil or butter. In this recipe, you could replace it with 1/2 the amount of either. If you can do dairy, I recommend the butter.
should the butter be melted or softened?
Jules – Melted is probably a good choice. Let me know how they turn out!
These sound yummy!! For Gluten Free version, do you think they would work with coconut or almond flour?
Jeannette – I would probably have to recommend a combo of both since coconut flour is EXTREMELY absorbent and almond flour absorbs almost nothing. However, I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it would work out. If you do want to try it, I would recommend starting with 1 3/4 cups almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour and see how it does.
Can I use regular white flour for these?
Abby – I suppose you could, but it wouldn’t be clean if you do.