Hello! I am very close to having several recipes tested and ready to share. In the meantime, I thought I'd share a link to the recipe that I plan to try today, from another site. (I hope the link works!)
https://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/anti-inflammatory-coconut-and-sweet-potato-muffins-with-ginger-turmeric-cinnamon-and-maple-syrup.html?utm_source=LOTG&utm_content=54068-IMDN
This looks pretty good. I'll only need to switch out my millet & tapioca flour blend for the rice flour in the recipe.
It looks like a tasty, hearty, healthy recipe, very suitable for this crisp, blue-sky Fall day. :)
Showing posts with label gluten-free muffins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gluten-free muffins. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018
"Everything-free" Cherry & Almond Muffins
My husband said that these are his favorite of my bakes, so far. I am happy with how they've been turning out, too, so I thought it was time to share the recipe with you. :)
I use sweet cherries, as I am not a fan of sour. The first time I made these, I used sweet Bing cherries. I pitted and chopped them, then spread them out on a baking sheet and froze them. That way, when I mixed them into the muffin batter, the cherry juice did not immediately turn the batter purple. It worked well, but it was time-consuming and the muffins took much longer to bake. I've made them again since then, using Bing cherries, but skipping the freezer and just putting the chopped cherries straight into the batter. This also worked well. They still looked fine and tasted good.
This time around, I used Rainier cherries. It feels extravagant to me to use these in baking, but there is a reason. :) I usually only buy Rainier cherries once or twice a year. They are only available for a short time during the summer, and they are far more expensive than our standard sweet Bing cherries. Rainier cherries are just delicious, so I look forward to their advent every summer.
When I saw them in our local grocery store for only 3.99 a pound, instead of eight or nine dollars a pound, I was happily surprised. I bought some, of course, and was excited to have them for a snack. I washed a small bowlful and sat down to savor this perfect summer treat. Imagine my disappointment when I bit into the first one and found it to be flavorless and sour! I ate them anyway, as I was very hungry and they were food, even if they did not taste good. What a let-down!
I don't like to waste food, but I did not want to eat any more of those Sour Cherries of Disappointment, so I decided to put them in muffins.
I made two batches of muffins this morning, as our daughter Heather and I are taking a little road trip. (We're going over to Idaho, to visit my husband's mom.) Given my food limitations (and hers) we travel with our own food for most meals.
Usually, I simply pit the cherries, chop them up, and stir them into the batter. Given how sour these are, I macerated them first- chopped them, added sugar, and let them sit. This draws out the juices, and will hopefully temper their sourness in the muffins.
I have a handy little gadget for pitting cherries. Recently, I have used it for removing the pits from Castelveltrano olives. It worked well for that, but it seems to have messed up the alignment of the pitting gadget. It still works pretty well, and makes it much faster to remove the pits (stones) from fresh cherries.
"Everything-free" Cherry & Almond Muffins
Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nightshade-free
Makes 12 regular-sized muffins
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit ~ 18-22 minutes
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 Tablespoon flax meal
see my post on May 4, 2018-Replacing Eggs: Flax Gel and Flaxmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
I use organic granulated sugar- it has more the taste and texture of raw sugar, which I like.
1/3 cup oil (I currently use a light avocado oil, or grapeseed oil)
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
see my post on March 3, 2018- Replacing Eggs In Baking
2 teaspoons almond extract
I can't tolerate almonds themselves, but so far, the extract does not seem to bother me.
Add-in:
1 cup sweet cherries, washed, stems removed, pitted and chopped
(as mine were sour, after chopping I added 1/4 cup sugar and let them sit while I mixed up the batter)
*1/4 cup was a little much. If doing this again, I'd only use 2 Tablespoons sugar.
~ a little more granulated sugar to sprinkle on top of the muffins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper baking cups.
(I prefer the If You Care brand of unbleached baking cups. They're supposed to be a more healthy option, but my favorite thing about them is that they peel off of the muffins easily.)
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. When the wet and dry are about halfway mixed, add the cherries. Fold the cherries in until the batter is just mixed.
Spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared tin. I like to use a cookie/ice-cream scoop. The one I use holds about two tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle the tops with a little bit of granulated sugar. This helps avoid the sticky tops that gluten-free muffins can have, after they are baked.
Bake for 18 minutes, then check by gently pressing on the top of a muffin. If it squishes, they need more time. If it gives a little, but does not stay dented, they should be done.
Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool. Remember that fruit like cherries or blueberries holds heat for a long time, so do let them cool a few minutes before eating. I have burned my mouth from being too impatient for fruit muffins. :)
Enjoy!
If you make these, I'd love to hear how they turn out for you.
P.S. One of my pet peeves is having to scroll past forty thousand photos of the same thing, to get to the actual recipe on a blog. Because of this, I usually only include one photo of my finished product. Today, though, I felt like doing more, as the cherries were so pretty, and I wanted to show the process and tools that I use. I hope you enjoyed baking with me. :)
Friday, June 8, 2018
"Everything-Free" Lemon Blueberry Muffins
For a while now, I've been tinkering with my muffin recipes. Since realizing that the butter-substitute that I've used is causing me some problems, I've had to reconsider my whole approach to making muffins. Switching to oil, rather than a solid fat, requires an entirely different balance of ingredients. The first few attempts were tasty, but came out with deep dips in the middles. I soldiered on, trying for the right balance of delicacy and strength.
The batch that I made this morning turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd share it with you all.
These are sturdy enough to not sink in the middle, but still tender and moist. The flavor is good, and the balance of sweetness, to the tartness of the lemon, is about right.
"Everything-free" Lemon Blueberry Muffins
gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nightshade-free
Makes 12 standard-sized muffins
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 Tablespoon flaxmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
*if you are corn-sensitive, there are recipes online for corn-free substitutes for baking powder.
I have done this at times, as our daughter is sensitive to corn, and it seemed to work fine.
1 teaspoon coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
*xanthan gum can be derived from corn. If you are corn-sensitive, it may be safer to use guar gum.
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup light agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1/3 cup sugar
(I use organic granulated, which is similar to turbinado or raw sugar. I like the flavor it gives)
1/4 cup neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil)
2 teaspoons liquid coconut oil
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
Lemons vary wildly in size, which could give greatly different results. Next time, I'll measure
so I know just how much I use. I would guess that I used about 2 teaspoons of zest this time.
These were quite lemony, almost on the edge of being too tart for me. Next time, I think I'll use
slightly less zest, and see if that gives a little better balance.
Add-in:
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
Topping:
A bit of granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with baking cups (I grew up calling them cupcake papers or muffin cups) . I like using the "If You Care" brand of unbleached baking cups, because it seems a healthier choice, but also because the muffins release from the cups so neatly.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients and begin to stir together. Add in blueberries, and stir until just barely combined. Scoop or spoon into prepared muffin tin. I use a cookie/ice-cream scoop that holds about 2 Tablespoons of batter. This makes the scooping part quicker and less messy.
Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of sugar. Gluten-free muffins can develop a gooey, sticky top once they cool. The little sprinkle of sugar helps to prevent this.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the top of a muffin no longer squishes when gently pressed.
Remove from the pan and let sit on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Blueberries hold heat very efficiently. I have burned my mouth more than once from diving into a fresh blueberry muffin too quickly. :) If you leave them in the baking pan, the bottoms and sides keep baking, becoming dark and leathery. Dark and leathery are words that do not fit the sweet delightfulness of muffins. :)
Enjoy!
The batch that I made this morning turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd share it with you all.
These are sturdy enough to not sink in the middle, but still tender and moist. The flavor is good, and the balance of sweetness, to the tartness of the lemon, is about right.
"Everything-free" Lemon Blueberry Muffins
gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nightshade-free
Makes 12 standard-sized muffins
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 Tablespoon flaxmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
*if you are corn-sensitive, there are recipes online for corn-free substitutes for baking powder.
I have done this at times, as our daughter is sensitive to corn, and it seemed to work fine.
1 teaspoon coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
*xanthan gum can be derived from corn. If you are corn-sensitive, it may be safer to use guar gum.
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup light agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1/3 cup sugar
(I use organic granulated, which is similar to turbinado or raw sugar. I like the flavor it gives)
1/4 cup neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil)
2 teaspoons liquid coconut oil
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
Lemons vary wildly in size, which could give greatly different results. Next time, I'll measure
so I know just how much I use. I would guess that I used about 2 teaspoons of zest this time.
These were quite lemony, almost on the edge of being too tart for me. Next time, I think I'll use
slightly less zest, and see if that gives a little better balance.
Add-in:
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
Topping:
A bit of granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with baking cups (I grew up calling them cupcake papers or muffin cups) . I like using the "If You Care" brand of unbleached baking cups, because it seems a healthier choice, but also because the muffins release from the cups so neatly.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients and begin to stir together. Add in blueberries, and stir until just barely combined. Scoop or spoon into prepared muffin tin. I use a cookie/ice-cream scoop that holds about 2 Tablespoons of batter. This makes the scooping part quicker and less messy.
Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of sugar. Gluten-free muffins can develop a gooey, sticky top once they cool. The little sprinkle of sugar helps to prevent this.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, until the top of a muffin no longer squishes when gently pressed.
Remove from the pan and let sit on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Blueberries hold heat very efficiently. I have burned my mouth more than once from diving into a fresh blueberry muffin too quickly. :) If you leave them in the baking pan, the bottoms and sides keep baking, becoming dark and leathery. Dark and leathery are words that do not fit the sweet delightfulness of muffins. :)
Enjoy!
Saturday, May 12, 2018
"Everything-free" Not-banana Muffins
"Everything-free" is our family's word for things that fit my food world. The list gets long- wheat-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, banana-free, almond-free, corn-free, potato-free, rice-free... Calling things "everything-free" just makes it simpler. :)
I have been working on my muffin recipes recently, trying to solve a problem. Since realizing that the butter substitute that I use has been bothering me, I have had to switch from a creamed solid fat method to using oil in muffins. The first result was that they all have a deep dip in the center. This is not a deal-breaker for eating them, but it does make them less attractive. To put a recipe out, without solving this issue, didn't feel right.
This specific recipe was born through a totally different experiment. I was making something else, and used coconut nectar as the sweetener. With the first bite, I thought, "This almost tastes like banana." The creative part of my brain perked up at that and started humming busily. I have missed banana bread so much. Yes, bananas are part of the long list of foods that bother me in one way or another.
After a couple of batches and a little tinkering, I have come up with something that I like.
They do not taste like banana, but they have the texture and moistness of a banana muffin, and the coconut sugar and nectar give it a similar fruity sweetness. I made the final version this morning, and we like them!
Of course, a person could easily substitute honey and granulated sugar for the coconut sweeteners. They would still be quite tasty, but would lose the resemblance to banana. Molasses would also work well, and would probably make them reminiscent of bran muffins. In fact, that is an experiment that I will probably make myself, in the near future. I also miss bran muffins. :)
The other reason that I chose to use coconut sweeteners is that I'm trying to reduce the glycemic impact of my baked goods. Sugar is a deeply important part of the chemistry of baking. A person can't just yank out the sugar and expect the same results of texture and flavor. Coconut sweeteners do still impact blood sugar, but less severely than regular granulated sugar.
Muffins, in my world, fall into the same "happy comfort food" family that includes pancakes and cupcakes. There is just something about these foods that makes me happy. :)
"Everything-free" Not-banana Muffins
wheat-free, gluten-free, oat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, banana-free, soy-free, almond-free
350 degrees - 18-20 minutes
12 muffins
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Wet ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/3 cup light neutral oil (I used a light avocado oil)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
Add in:
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with baking cups. *
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together well.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
~to melt the coconut oil, I scoop some into a small dish and heat it in the microwave.
In our microwave, it only takes twenty or thirty seconds to melt this little bit of oil
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. When about halfway combined, add the walnuts. Stir until the ingredients just come together, with no more clumps of flour. Spoon or scoop into the prepared tin. I like to use a ice cream/cookie dough scoop for this.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. I have found that in our oven, 20 minutes is just a little too long.
Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack. If they stay in the hot tin, the outside will continue to brown and will get tough. Enjoy!
*I like to use the If You Care brand of baking cups. They're made from unbleached paper. I like knowing that they're free of chemicals, and they have a great added bonus. With regular muffin papers, the muffins often stuck to the paper and got torn apart when we tried to peel the paper off. With the If You Care brand, the papers come off neatly!
I have been working on my muffin recipes recently, trying to solve a problem. Since realizing that the butter substitute that I use has been bothering me, I have had to switch from a creamed solid fat method to using oil in muffins. The first result was that they all have a deep dip in the center. This is not a deal-breaker for eating them, but it does make them less attractive. To put a recipe out, without solving this issue, didn't feel right.
This specific recipe was born through a totally different experiment. I was making something else, and used coconut nectar as the sweetener. With the first bite, I thought, "This almost tastes like banana." The creative part of my brain perked up at that and started humming busily. I have missed banana bread so much. Yes, bananas are part of the long list of foods that bother me in one way or another.
After a couple of batches and a little tinkering, I have come up with something that I like.
They do not taste like banana, but they have the texture and moistness of a banana muffin, and the coconut sugar and nectar give it a similar fruity sweetness. I made the final version this morning, and we like them!
Of course, a person could easily substitute honey and granulated sugar for the coconut sweeteners. They would still be quite tasty, but would lose the resemblance to banana. Molasses would also work well, and would probably make them reminiscent of bran muffins. In fact, that is an experiment that I will probably make myself, in the near future. I also miss bran muffins. :)
The other reason that I chose to use coconut sweeteners is that I'm trying to reduce the glycemic impact of my baked goods. Sugar is a deeply important part of the chemistry of baking. A person can't just yank out the sugar and expect the same results of texture and flavor. Coconut sweeteners do still impact blood sugar, but less severely than regular granulated sugar.
Muffins, in my world, fall into the same "happy comfort food" family that includes pancakes and cupcakes. There is just something about these foods that makes me happy. :)
"Everything-free" Not-banana Muffins
wheat-free, gluten-free, oat-free, egg-free, dairy-free, banana-free, soy-free, almond-free
350 degrees - 18-20 minutes
12 muffins
Dry ingredients:
1 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Wet ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/3 cup light neutral oil (I used a light avocado oil)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
Add in:
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with baking cups. *
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together well.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
~to melt the coconut oil, I scoop some into a small dish and heat it in the microwave.
In our microwave, it only takes twenty or thirty seconds to melt this little bit of oil
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. When about halfway combined, add the walnuts. Stir until the ingredients just come together, with no more clumps of flour. Spoon or scoop into the prepared tin. I like to use a ice cream/cookie dough scoop for this.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. I have found that in our oven, 20 minutes is just a little too long.
Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack. If they stay in the hot tin, the outside will continue to brown and will get tough. Enjoy!
*I like to use the If You Care brand of baking cups. They're made from unbleached paper. I like knowing that they're free of chemicals, and they have a great added bonus. With regular muffin papers, the muffins often stuck to the paper and got torn apart when we tried to peel the paper off. With the If You Care brand, the papers come off neatly!
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