As I did the last few years, I made a nice, big brunch for our guests. Because I've had to modify my diet so much recently with my newly-discovered corn intolerance (among many other things), I was somewhat nervous about what to make that would be tasty to other people. I spent several days, trying to plan out a menu, and research options for baking that were gluten, corn, dairy and nightshade-free. I was quite pleased with the outcome of everything I made, including modification to my crustless quiche, which I made without the cheese. One of the menu items was a complete experiment (not advisable when cooking for guests, but I like to live on the edge with my cooking!), and it ended up being a favorite.
Since I've recently started making my own almond milk, I had some leftover almond meal pulp that I wanted to use, which was the foundation of this recipe. I didn't want the muffins to be like bricks, so I added some tapioca and gluten-free oats to the mix, and it worked out well. Below is my new favorite blueberry muffin recipe, which I will definitely be making again! They were moist and full of blueberries. My oven tends to bake a bit slower, so keep an eye on them when you get over 22 minutes or so, just to make sure they're not over-cooking.
Blueberry Muffins
- 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup wet almond pulp (leftover from making almond milk)
- 1 TBSP chia seeds
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 cup gluten-free oats (Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (Authentic Foods is the only brand I know that's corn-free)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (homemade only with Ciroc vodka to avoid corn)
- 3/4 cup homemade almond milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar - DO NOT add until very last (only use apple cider vinegar, as white vinegar is distilled from corn)
- 1 TBSP Sucanat sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the chia seeds, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and sea salt.
3. In a pot, over medium heat, add in the honey and coconut oil. Melt the oil and honey together. Once melted, turn the heat off.
4. I decided to make this a blender batter with my VitaMix, to help puree up the oatmeal (option A). If you don't have a VitaMix, I don't recommend this method, or you'll kill your blender! If you don't have a VitaMix or don't want your oatmeal ground up, follow option B.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the chia seeds, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and sea salt.
3. In a pot, over medium heat, add in the honey and coconut oil. Melt the oil and honey together. Once melted, turn the heat off.
4. I decided to make this a blender batter with my VitaMix, to help puree up the oatmeal (option A). If you don't have a VitaMix, I don't recommend this method, or you'll kill your blender! If you don't have a VitaMix or don't want your oatmeal ground up, follow option B.
Option 4A (with VitaMix): Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract to VitaMix. DO NOT add the vinegar yet. Add wet almond pulp to the blender. Add the honey/oil mixture. Finally, add the oatmeal. Run blender on low for about a minute, until it looks well-blended. Once blended, pour out the batter into the large bowl with the other dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Option 4B (If you don't have a VitaMix or don't want the oatmeal ground up): In another bowl crack in the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and wet almond pulp. DO NOT add the vinegar yet. Add in the honey/oil mixture, a little bit at a time, while constantly stirring so the eggs don’t curdle. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Add in the blueberries, stir. Add in the vinegar, stir. Immediately scoop batter into the muffin tin (I used a large cookie scoop), sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the sucanat and get into the oven as quickly as possible. The vinegar helps the muffins rise as soon as the vinegar is added to the batter.
6. Bake for 25-27 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Option 4B (If you don't have a VitaMix or don't want the oatmeal ground up): In another bowl crack in the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and wet almond pulp. DO NOT add the vinegar yet. Add in the honey/oil mixture, a little bit at a time, while constantly stirring so the eggs don’t curdle. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Add in the blueberries, stir. Add in the vinegar, stir. Immediately scoop batter into the muffin tin (I used a large cookie scoop), sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the sucanat and get into the oven as quickly as possible. The vinegar helps the muffins rise as soon as the vinegar is added to the batter.
6. Bake for 25-27 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
