Is there anything better than a warm muffin in hand? Yes. A dozen of them. These light + wholesome Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are the perfect treat for weekend mornings, breakfast on the go, or an afternoon snack when you crave something sweet.

 

Delicately flavored with lemon, we have a surprise in this recipe you might not expect. We made these muffins using Armour Premium All-Natural Lard.

Yep, lard.

 

Wanna make these Lemon Chia Seed Muffins?

When you think about lemon muffins, you probably think “poppy seed”. I love the light-lemon classic flavor, but I’m a little crazy about chia seeds. Methinks they are more substantial and have a better texture than a poppy seed.

The first step in making our muffins is to combine the dry ingredients. We stirred a generous amount of chia seeds into the flour mixture.

 

 

Once your dry ingredients are measured + mixed, combine your wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

So let’s talk about our wet ingredients for these muffins. When you think about baking and lemon muffins, you probably would think to use butter.  To get a nice light + airy muffin, my go-to is Armour Premium All-Natural Lard.

Sister say what?! Yes, I said lard. Your grandmother certainly knew what was up, but what she didn’t know is that lard is one of the healthiest fats you can use.

Let me repeat that last part, for those of you in the back. Lard is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which are said to lower LDL cholesterol. There are no trans fats, and it is flavorless. (Plus, Armour Premium All-Natural Lard is gluten free.)

The flavorless fat helps add moisture to my muffins without weighing them down. Plus the delicate lemon shines through and is the star flavor in these Lemon Chia Seed Muffins.

 

 

We used the lard in two ways. First, we slowly melted lard in a small bowl in the microwave. (Heat 5 to 10 seconds at a time. Careful, lard heats quickly and gets very hot. I heated mine until half way melted, stirred it gently, and the rest melted on its own.)

I brushed the bottom, sides and edges of my muffin tin with some of the melted lard. (We don’t want anything to stick.) Using a light layer of  lard gives the muffins a light crisp that is to die for, and not greasy. Bonus: the muffins pop right out of the pan.

Then we added the rest into the wet components of our muffin batter (sour cream, egg, and vanilla paste). You can use vanilla extract if you would like, but I love the vanilla bean paste and the little flecks of bean.

 

 

Lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until the lemon chia seed muffin batter is just moistened. If you stir the batter too much the muffins will be tough. If your batter appears to be too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk.

 

 

Muffin Lovin’ from the Oven. Get more of our muffin recipes:

Fresh Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

 

Spoon the muffin batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. This lemon chia seed muffin recipe makes exactly 12 delightful muffins in a standard sized muffin pan.

Bake for 18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until they are golden brown and a toothpick comes clean.

Look how gorgeous these muffins are! No worries, they taste even better than they look.  Confession: one of these little muffins did not make it to the cooling rack.

 

 

To create a light burst of flavor for our lemon chia seed muffins, we created a simple glaze. Nothing too heavy or sweet, just a squeeze or two of fresh lemon, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar.

The flecks of pure vanilla bean look so sweet with the chia seeds peeking out of the muffins.

 

 

I can’t wait get back in my kitchen and create more delicious recipes with lard. It so versatile and you can use lard for baking, sauteing, and frying. It really makes food crispy, flaky and light. I found Armour Premium All-Natural lard in the baking aisle at my local Walmart.

 

 

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are a wholesome sweet treat perfect for mornings on the go or anytime you need a light dessert. Plus you get all of the nutrional benefits of the chia seeds and using premium lard.

The texture of these lemon chia seed muffins is light and airy, soft and tender. And I L-O-V-E the texture of the chia seeds. In a word, delightful.

 

 

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Armour Premium All Natural Lard, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ArmourPremiumLard  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

 

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