Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins
A healthy, protein-packed snack that’s easy to make ahead! These Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins are a hit with toddlers, kids, and grown-ups alike. Made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened, these are a baked good you can feel good about serving any time of day. They happen to be egg-free too.
This post was sponsored by Hood. The recipe and all options are 100% my own. We love Hood cottage cheese as an easy, healthy snack, but it’s also such a versatile ingredient in both sweet and savory recipes. Even if kids aren’t fans of eating cottage cheese on its own, they will love these muffins since the cottage cheese just blends right in. (You can’t even see the curds once they are baked!)
Kids in the Kitchen:
- What kiddos doesn’t love making muffins, right? Let your child put the paper liners in the muffin tin while you make sure you have all the other ingredients ready to go.
- Measure and mix the dry ingredients: depending on the age or your child and/or how much time you have to bake, you may want to measure many of the ingredients before inviting your child to bake with you. You can leave a couple things for your child to measure, such as the baking powder and salt.
- Sprinkle the sugar: if you have a child that isn’t very interested in cooking with you or if you don’t have the time or patience to cook together that day (which is totally fine!), this is one step that’s quick and easy but kids will love to help with. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl then show your child how to take a little pinch and sprinkle it over the top of a muffin. You may have to promise a little taste of the sugar at the end of the job so that your child doesn’t try to eat it all before sprinkling it on the muffin (speaking from experience lol).
Subs and Tips for making Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins:
- Flour: White whole wheat flour has a more mild taste than the traditional whole wheat flour. I like to buy the King Arthur brand. If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, use half regular whole wheat and half all-purpose flour to get similar results. You can also use all all-purpose flour if you prefer a more bakery-style tasting muffin.
- Gluten-free?: Yes, no problem! I tested these muffins with a gluten-free “cup for cup” flour blend and it worked out really well.
- Sweetener and sugar topping: I use coconut sugar and maple syrup for these muffins. You can use regular granulated sugar instead of the coconut sugar. Use less granulated sugar (measurements in recipe card) since it’s sweeter than coconut sugar. You can use honey in place of the maple syrup. The crunchy sugar top of these muffins is pretty much the best part of eating these. I like to use a turbinado sugar (“sugar in the raw”), but you can also use a regular granulated sugar. coconut sugar, or really any kind of sugar you’d like.
- Helpful tools: Unbleached parchment paper liners, large cookie scoop (in picture below), and my favorite muffin tin are listed in my Baking Essentials list on Amazon HERE.
Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins
A whole wheat, healthy, protein-packed snack kids will love.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour or a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain cottage cheese I use 4% but any kind will work
- 3/4 cup milk (any kind)
- 1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen wild blueberries (not defrosted)
Optional topping
- 2 tsp coarse sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease well with oil or non-stick spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a second large bowl, whisk together the oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cottage cheese, milk, and lemon juice/vinegar until well combined.
- Dump dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a large spoon or spatual until just combined. Mix in blueberries.
- Divide batter into muffin tin and top with a few more blueberries, if desired.
- If using topping, mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of each muffin.
- Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.
- Muffins can be stored at room temperature for 1 to 2 days then in the refrigerator for 2 more days. Muffins can be frozen, individually wrapped, for a month.
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Other Muffin recipes:
Banana Pumpkin Blender Muffins
Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
Super Green Mini Blender Muffins
These are so good! I was nervous when making it thinking my kids won’t touch it and I’ll have to throw them all, especially since they don’t like adding extras to their muffins. But these were a delightful surprise, both my kids including the picky eater enjoyed them. You can’t really see or taste the cottage cheese-but what a health my addition fir protein! I made it with half whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour, regular sugar and held back the blueberries.
You should try them too!
These look delicious! I am excited to have the extra protein incorporated into a yummy, healthy treat! I am going to try adding extra lemon juice and some lemon zest for a lemon blueberry. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
We just got back from vacation and had half a container of cottage cheese to use up, as well as some smooshed blueberries that didn’t get eaten on the airplane. This was a perfect recipe to make! My whole family approved of these muffins, they turned out very well.
Great recipe! Made the recipe as-is without the addition of the topping.
Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. So glad you enjoyed the muffins! 🙂 Heather
Have you any advice for cutting out the granulated sugar entirely? We don’t do sugar just yet and I’m still learning how to bake without. Thanks so much. Will be batch cooking tomorrow!
Hi Ashley, This recipe uses coconut sugar which is an unrefined, natural sugar (although still added sugar like maple syrup or honey). I have not tried using any other sweetener so I can’t say what will work as a sub. You should check out my ebook No Sugar Still Sweet, it has muffins, other baked goods, and treats that are only sweetened with fruit. You can get the link the the Shop section of my site. Let me know if you have any other questions. 🙂 Heather
No eggs? What binds them?
Hi Joan,
No eggs needed. Many baked goods are able to stay together without eggs. They are able to bind with the dairy and flour alone. Hope that helps. 🙂 Heather
Delicious! My two littles LOVE these. I used peach cottage cheese since they refused to eat it and I didn’t want it to go to waste. Absolutely delicious. My 3 year old had two and begged me for a third. Recipe made 15 muffins for me; maybe bc the blueberries were extra big! Regardless these will definitely be a permanent rotation in our breakfasts.
Hi Caitlin, So glad your family loved the muffins. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 Heather
Hello Heather,
I can’s wait to try your cottage cheese blueberry muffins recipe. I would like to know if this batter could also be successfully baked as a coffee cake in a 9×9 inch pan? Please advise me. Thank you.
Hi! I think it would turn out as a coffee cake, but since I haven’t tested it before I don’t know for sure. Let me know if you try it! 🙂 Heather
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