Despite whatever the weather’s doing near you, the calendar says it’s spring. And one of my favorite ways to celebrate is with a sweet treat, preferably something light, bright and lemon-y.

Ever since my friend (Zest Nutrition co-founder & fellow Team LUNA Chix Portland Run member) Megan Fuetterer posted this recipe, I’d been dying to try it. The only problem? Our oven was broken for almost a week.

So as soon as we were up and running again on what happened to be a rainy weekend afternoon, baking these little rays of sunshine was first on my to-do list. They’re everything you love about lemon muffins — and more — because they’re super healthy.

Gluten-Free Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Adapted from Zest Nutriton

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups almond meal/flour
• 4 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup lemon-flavored Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then pour into lined muffin tins.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!

Here’s a look at the process:

I just bought a great new grater from GoodCook, which made zesting the two lemons a breeze (and spared my poor knuckles).

They’re pretty dense, thanks to the almond flour, so be generous when you’re filling the cups; these muffins will rise only slightly.

Bake until the edges are a nice golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Since I used agave nectar, which is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar, I halved the amount of honey the original recipe called for.

But if you like them on the sweeter side, you may want to experiment with the type and amount of sweetener used.

The lemon yogurt, which I added instead of applesauce, also added another layer of flavor and kept the muffins nice and moist.

Enjoy, and here’s hoping they bring a little ray of sunshine into your spring!

Is your baking influenced by the change of seasons?