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The Best Low-Sugar Peanut Butter Muffins Made With Splenda

A recipe for a great-tasting muffin when you want something sweet but you're watching your sugar intake

By Mishael WittyPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The Best Low-Sugar Peanut Butter Muffins Made With Splenda
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Have a Sweet Treat, Even if You Have to Watch Your Sugar Intake

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 25 million people in the United States currently have diabetes. This includes both adults and children.

Millions of others in the country have jumped on the low-carb diet bandwagon over the past several years. It started with Atkins and South Beach. Now it includes Keto and Paleo diets and lifestyle changes.

So, what are all these sugar-conscious people supposed to do when they get the yearning for something sweet? Do they have to abstain?

No, not at all! They just have to find recipes for baked goods that will allow them to use sugar substitutes.

Why I Came Up With This Recipe

I am the daughter of two diabetics. My mom has Type I Diabetes, and my dad has Type II.

I've always had an interest in baking, and my dad was raised in a home where sweet desserts were a part of everyday living. You know, that good ol' country cooking.

My mom's mom spent most of her adult life trying to come up with recipes for sweet things using sugar substitutes that my mother could eat. Not an easy task in the 1960s, when my mother was growing up. From watching her, I learned early on that sugar substitutes could be used with some measure of success in baking, so I began to experiment on my own as I got older and more interested in cooking.

Splenda Is My Substitute of Choice

I was thrilled when Splenda was introduced to the public in the late 1990s/early 2000s. As a sugar substitute made from actual sugar, it is heads and tails above all the others out there.

I learned along the way that you absolutely cannot cook with Equal (actually, my grandmother taught me this). It just does not hold up under really high temperatures. Sweet'N Low holds up well under the cooking pressure. It just leaves a horrible aftertaste. My dad was the first one to mention this to me when I first started trying to bake with it, so I quickly stopped.

Now, of course, there is that other sugar substitute, Stevia, which is supposed to be good for baking. I've tried it before, and it does okay. There's a Sweet'N Low-ish aftertaste, though. So, my dad doesn't really care for the stuff I make with it either.

Splenda is the only artificial sweetener I've found that tastes great both before and after baking, and it doesn't ruin the final product.

I have not yet tried to bake with Swerve. Some people have, with apparently some success. These recipes look fabulous, anyway.

Okay, Enough Talk Already - Let's Bake

Here is the super-easy, super-delicious recipe for peanut butter muffins sweetened with Splenda.

What you will need:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white Splenda
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup peanut butter*
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk**
  • A few tablespoons of brown Splenda
  • A few teaspoons of cinnamon

*I always use Jif peanut butter because it is the only kind of peanut butter my diabetic mother will eat, even though it has more carbs than other brands (for instance, Skippy, and almost any kind of natural peanut butter). I have to agree, Jif does make things taste better, but if you're really looking to cut down the carbs, you'll want to use another brand.

**I almost always use whole milk because that is what we have most often in the house, but if you want to cut the fat content down you can easily substitute 2%, 1%, or even vanilla-flavored almond milk, which is really yummy. The nutty flavor complements the peanut butter beautifully.

Here's What You Do

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or put paper linings into a twelve-cup muffin pan.
  2. Get a large bowl, and put in the flour, white Splenda, baking powder, and salt. Mix this all together. Then add the peanut butter and two tablespoons of butter. Cut the mixture until it looks coarse and crumby.
  3. Take a smaller bowl and beat the eggs and milk together. Pour this into the large bowl and mix the wet and dry ingredients together until everything is moisten. Be careful not to over-mix.
  4. Pour the mixture into the muffin cups, filling them no more than two-thirds full. You will probably have a little bit left over.
  5. Bake for about 15-17 minutes (or less), depending on your oven. Stick a toothpick in the middle of one of the center muffins. If it comes out clean, the muffins are fully cooked.
  6. Mix the brown Splenda and cinnamon together in a small dish. Melt the leftover butter and brush it over the tops of the muffins. Sprinkle the cinnamon-Splenda-butter mixture evenly over the muffin tops.
  7. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then enjoy.

A Few More Notes

I used chunky peanut butter when I made this recipe, but I think creamy would work just as well if you want a smoother texture.

Also, step 6 is entirely optional. The muffins are great with or without the cinnamon-Splenda topping, but I usually include it because cinnamon is known to have proven health benefits for people with diabetes.

Happy baking! I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a tip to help fund my future experiments in the kitchen.

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