If you thought you hit the jackpot with my Double Chocolate Cheesecake Protein Muffins, just wait until you sink your teeth into the warm, soft sweetness of my latest creation: Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Protein Muffins! Yet again, this is a muffin that is high in protein, low in carbohydrates, AND free of gluten, grains and refined sugar. This time, the star of the show is a Quest Nutrition Cinnamon Roll Protein Bar*. Let these muffins steal your heart.
So folks, what do you think about the “new” Quest bars with Soluble Corn Fiber? Did you know there was a new formulation? Do you CARE that there’s a new formulation? I’m disappointed that the new bars generally have more grams of fat and fewer grams of fiber than the original versions (my beloved Double Chocolate Chunk bar has +2 grams of fat). Taste and texture seem to be comparable, but I AM disappointed with the taste of my current box of DCC. On the other hand, supposedly these new bars are even better for baking, so maybe this recipe is just what the doctor ordered!
On principle alone, I finally decided I had to go out and see what other protein bars had on offer. I’ll follow up with several product review posts (eventually), but suffice to say that I’ve now had more variety of protein bars in the past few weeks than in the past few years. Quest bars really did have my heart and might end up with it still. Very few bars offer fewer grams of fat (no, I don’t have a fat phobia, it’s just that when I’m trying to make up all of my fat grams during the day, I prefer to ingest them in the form of various peanut or nut butters or avocado or even CHEESES – nope, I’m still not Paleo!). I’ve tried Muscle Pharm Combat Crunch (White Chocolate & Raspberry, Cinnamon Crunch, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup – any flavour recommendations?); Bio-X Cookies & Cream; and I’ve still got Clif’s Builder’s Bar and Universal Nutrition to go. I’d appreciate any and all recommendations for the best protein bars out there (Oh Yeah bars need not apply) with the highest protein and lowest fat content, and ideally 35g or less of carbohydrates per bar.
One of the highlights of our weekend trip to Hong Kong was actually finding BC Shop HK (Bodybuilding Connection Limited). It was so nice to be able to see and touch the products before buying them. I’m still very, very happy with the service provided by iHerb.com, but there’s just something about being able to pick up a package and read the info, or buy just one flavour of a bar without committing to a whole box that was really, really great. Plus, I got to try some refrigerated protein drinks – I’m now a huge fan of SCITEC Nutrition Protein Smoothies (especially the Raspberry & Blueberry flavour). Great-tasting and >25 grams of protein per serving <150 calories and only 2.3g of fat with all of the carbohydrates naturally occurring in the fruit juices. No, I’m not sponsored by SCITEC, but if anyone from there is reading this, I’ll happily take some shipments of samples and write a review!
Side note: I know I said (or typed) at one point that there would also be travel posts in this blog. And obviously I just got back from yet another trip in Southeast Asia. But I’m barely keeping up with the food blogging, so travel posts will just have to take a backseat. Plus, if I’m excited about finding supplement stores, you can imagine that my travel related posts would be pretty boring, right?
I’m sure that there are other flavour combinations that will work well (and will appear in this blog in the future), but this time it was all about the warm & cozy cinnamon love that fall seems to bring.
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Protein Muffins (Gluten-free, Grain-free, High-protein, Refined sugar-free)
Enjoy the warmth and sweetness of a cinnamon roll paired with smooth cream cheese in this low-carb, high-protein recipe – each muffin is less than 100 calories and packs over 7 grams of protein!
Author: The Golden Graham Girl
Adapted from: Strawberry Chunky Cheesecake Muffins at Food Fitness by Paige
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces (56g) original plain cream cheese (you can also use reduced fat or fat-free if you like and the recipe will still work well but you will have different nutritional information versus what is presented below; stats shown are for regular original Philadelphia Plain Cream Cheese)
1/4 cup (25g) granulated erythritol – I used Now Foods Erythritol Natural Sweetener*
1 large egg
1/2 tsp (2.5mL or 2g) vanilla extract
2 tbsp (15g) coconut flour – I used Edward & Sons Organic Coconut Flour*
1/2 scoop (14g) vanilla protein powder (FYI whey isolate bakes differently than protein blends – you may need to increase the liquid accordingly if using a pure whey isolate protein powder) – I used Quest Nutrition Vanilla Milkshake Flavor Protein Powder*
1 tsp (4g) cinnamon
1 tsp (4g) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1g) nutmeg & optional 1/8 tsp (0.5g) ground cloves (to taste)
1/4 tsp (1g) sea salt
1/4 cup (62.5mL or 60g) unsweetened almond milk
1 Quest Nutrition Cinnamon Roll Protein Bar*, cut into small pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat a conventional oven to 350F (185C) or a convection oven to 325F (165C).
2. Line muffin tins with 6 silicone muffin liners OR grease with non-stick cooking spray (pro tip: I like to use muffin liners – silicone works best with low-fat baking as paper liners are prone to stick – to make clean up easier AND to make it even easier to take these muffins on the go!).
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and erythritol.
4. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
5. In a separate bowl or container, combine all dry ingredients (the next 7 ingredients) (pro tip: I like to put my dry ingredients in a sealable container and shake to combine thoroughly – no risk of whisking dry ingredients out of the bowl onto the countertop or floor!).
6. Add the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mixture, alternating with additions of almond milk (1 tbsp at a time) until you have a thick batter.
7. Fold in the Quest bar pieces.
8. Scoop into muffin liners (if using) or directly into muffin tin (fill each cup 1/2 – 2/3 full) and bake for 15-20 minutes until a cake tester inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
8. Enjoy immediately OR store in a sealed container in the fridge – these muffins taste GREAT any time of the night or day!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 98 Fat: 5.4g Carbohydrates: 7.7g Sugar: 0.7g Fiber: 4.1g Protein: 7.2g
I highly recommend that you serve these warm but they are also good straight out of the fridge. You can then keep them for an additional 2-3 days in a sealed container (if they last that long!).
All content on The Golden Graham Girl is the original creation and property of thegoldengrahamgirl.com (unless otherwise noted).
*Please note that I am currently NOT sponsored by or affiliated with any particular brand, company or product. Any ideas, comments or opinions are my own, as mentioned in my Product Review page. However, if you choose to purchase new-to-you products I recommend using the link(s) I provide, I can earn a small credit. More information on that is available here.
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