Make Low-Sugar Oat and Butternut Squash Muffins in Your Air Fryer or Oven (Diabetic Friendly)

For muffins that are low in sugar and diabetic friendly, these really taste good--dense and a little like eating pumpkin pie but with squash. The secret is the part-skim ricotta cheese in the batter, which provides texture, protein, and a little fat to the muffins. The sweetness in the muffins comes from orange juice and date puree, which you can make in minutes with pitted dates (fill a cup half full with dates, pour on just enough water to cover the dates, and microwave the mixture for a minute or until really hot, then let the dates stand until they cool and mash them with a fork--that's it). The muffins include no wheat flour--only oats, which will help keep your blood sugar in check. Walnuts provide crunch to the muffins--both inside and as a topping--as well as fiber, "good fat," and extra protein. We like the muffins for breakfast, and they also are great for snacks and dessert with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Make Low-Sugar Oat and Butternut Squash Muffins in Your Air Fryer or Oven (Diabetic Friendly)

Low-Sugar Oat and Butternut Squash Muffins -- Makes 12

1 cup of cooked cooked butternut squash puree (you can use fresh or thawed, frozen

puree)

1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1/2 cup of date puree

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cup of orange juice

3/4 cup of oat flour (grind old-fashioned or quick oats in a food processor)

1/4 cup of quick oats

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or use cinnamon and a little nutmeg, ginger, and

allspice)

1 cup of chopped walnuts, divided

In a large bowl whisk or stir together well the cooked squash puree, ricotta, egg, date puree, vanilla, and orange juice. Add the oat flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the wet mixture and stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon just until blended. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chopped walnuts. Spritz 12 muffin cups/wells with non-stick cooking spray and divide the batter among the wells. Sprinkle the top of the batter in each muffin cup with some of the remaining chopped walnuts.

Air fry the muffins at 315 degrees for about 25 minutes or until deep brown and a pick comes out with no wet better clinging to it.

Or bake the muffins in a regular oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until deep brown and a pick inserted in a muffin comes out with no wet batter clinging to it.

Let the muffins cool in their cups/pans for 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.

Make Low-Sugar Oat and Butternut Squash Muffins in Your Air Fryer or Oven (Diabetic Friendly)