Pillsbury Sugar Free Deluxe Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Greetings, readers! In returning back to work this week, I'm readjusting my sails and reacquainting myself with a stricter schedule. This past Sunday, I prepared these delectable muffins, and as my six-year-old declared, "This are just like those cinnamon rolls Grandma gets."

I'm a big fun of Pillsbury because the company offers several sugar-free baking mixes. I don't always have time to be my version of Betty Crocker and preparing a baked good from scratch. A word of warning: this is NOT a low-calorie or low-carb snack. Coconut flow is low-carb, as are some other alternative flours; however, this is not. This mix is a treat. Thing is, with those of us with bodies that cannot process refined sugar anymore, it's really, really nice to have a treat of any sort that won't negatively affect our bodies.

With that said, let me share with you my version of Betty Crocker from this past week...and might I add that I was able to barter the last muffin (that I hid for myself) for a pair of adult-size scissors? My 11 year old spied the not-so-hidden Tupperware container with the lonely, last morsel because I had taken it out and hadn't re-hidden it. I was, at that particular moment, trying to use child-size scissors to cut out business cards for my blog. I'm blessed enough to have others interested in what I'm writing about (and what is a writer without an audience?) and there I was, cutting with painfully small hot pink scissors. How she found red, adult-size scissors in less than 30 seconds is beyond me. She didn't know anything when I asked earlier, but that's the power of these muffins! It provides motivation!!

We started out with the Pillsbury Sugar Free Deluxe Cinnamon Swirl mix (thanks grandma!), cooking oil, a bottle of water (to avoid fluoride in tap water), and 2 eggs. I like to add in Flax seeds for the fiber and protein. I often I add extras in. I can't leave well enough alone! It tastes just fine without flax seeds.

As you can see in our photo, I have a misshapened left hand...no, not really, that's my little mini-me helper, Olivia. She sees me in the kitchen and in no time at all a dining room chair is shoved up against the counter or the stove. I can't say no because she wants to learn. I'm always a teacher at heart. Someone wants to learn, they want to learn! Bring it on!

She loves breaking the eggs! If you've ever wondered how in the world to let short stacks help you in the kitchen, let them stir the pot until they're bored (that won't happen) and break the eggs. Just stand by with a spoon to scoop out a random shell. No harm, no foul.

Another piece of advice when baking (or doing any activity) with children is gives them a head's up. Explain what's supposed to happen and be honest, "I'm going to show you first how you do it by doing one. I'll let you do two, but then I just gots to do the others." Little hearts won't get so broken when you just can't stand it and take over cause it's not being poured right (been there!). Course, if you can stand the mess and have the patience, please let them make mistakes and messes. They'll learn from it and help you wipe away the batter. Misshapen muffins taste just as good.

The mix itself has two bags inside. One is the batter and the other is the cinnamon swirl part. The goal is to put a little bit of batter into each muffin tin (with paper cup), take the second bag in the box that has only a cinnamon mix in it and sprinkle half the bag onto all the muffins. Then, add some batter over the top so that the muffins are 3/4 of the cup (like a normal muffin). The other half of the cinnamon mix goes on top. Olivia was quite helpful with this step. We made sure our hands were properly washed and I'd sprinkle a muffin's worth of sprinkles into our palms and we'd dust it onto the muffin over and over again. She felt so accomplished and informed her family members she helped make the muffins, thank both mom and her!

You don't have to do the cinnamon in the middle, but that's the purpose of the "swirl." When I've forgotten that step because I'm sometimes as bad as my students and not reading directions (oops), I find the muffins still taste good despite my error. Again, have I mentioned I can use these to barter?

We were pilfering the muffins from the tin while they were still hot and I had to say, "Oh, we need pictures! Wait!" But when they're that good, steaming or not, you have to lay claim in my house with a "These are my two muffins." It's fun watching kids pick their muffins as they're measuring them up for size and trying to pick the largest one. Wait, these are sugar-free? Ha ha!!

I figured out quickly when my children were returning for seconds I better hide some for myself. I had been silly enough to take the time and deliver a muffin to my husband in the other part of the house. Oh heavens! I'd like to enjoy my own hard work, too!

This is what they look like all gussied up on a plate. I'm glad the girls picked their muffins because I couldn't store the others in the container I have, so it all works out. It's a great on-the-go snack and I make my doctor laugh each time I explain, "My children and husband steal my sugar-free foods." Well, is that really such a bad thing? They're eating healthier, too...and I try my best to hide my smile when their Daddy starts talking at dinner time about how sugar affects our health and we're addicted to it. I thought I was the resident health nut.

Happy Baking!!