By Teri Gentes
I’ve long held a love affair with home-made muffins, yet not had them very often over the last decade or so as flour has taken a back burner in my diet. Still, I do love the comfort of enjoying a good muffin on occasion and with all the wonderful flour options readily available, I’ve got a yummy recipe you’re sure to love. There are various whole-food, minimally processed flours to choose from pending on your relationship with flour. If you’re grain or gluten-free, or celiac, you can still make these muffins and eat them too. Simply choose your flour options accordingly.
What’s so great about these muffins, besides the fact they are yummy, is the calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, fiber and anti-inflammatory power they contain. Plus, by using any of the suggested flours the protein and healthy fat content is anted up as well. I’ve made them with organic gluten-free oatmeal flour and the three nut flour mix, as well as the nut flour meal alone with great results. The texture is heavier with nut flour alone yet the taste is still so delish, they get better every-day and freeze well too.
- Breakfast or snack
- Makes approx. 10 – 12 regular size muffins or 24 mini muffins
- Vegan, gluten-free, paleo/keto option
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup organic gluten free oats, buckwheat or quinoa flakes
- (If you’re grain-free simply sub nut or seed flour for the oat, buckwheat or quinoa meal)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder and ½ tsp baking soda, non-alum
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice, plus extra to top muffins
- ½ cup currants, mulberries, cranberries or slivered apricots, reserve some to top muffins
- 2/3 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, reserve some for the top
- 1 cup organic canned pumpkin puree, reserve remaining for a smoothie or parfait
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp flax meal soaked in 3 tbsp water for 5 minutes
- ¼ cup organic blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup Lakanto or coconut or date sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- ½ cup organic soy, coconut, oat or almond milk
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tins with paper cups or oil lightly.
- Using a food processor, grind the oats or flakes to a fine meal then combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients in a 4 cup measuring cup or smaller bowl then stir into the dry ingredients until just mixed.
- Fill muffin tin to the top then sprinkle each with the reserved dried fruit and seeds, and a touch of pumpkin spice.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 – 30 minutes, testing with a toothpick inserted into the center of muffins – it will come out clean when muffins are done. Let cool on a rack, then remove from the muffin tin and store in an air-tight container.
TERI’S TIPS:
- Add even more calcium, iron and magnesium and a crunchy yum factor with ¼ cup organic raw cacao nibs
