I thought in the first few months of my diagnosis that I would never have another muffin again. Growing up in Boston, Dunkin Donuts was sort of a big thing. I remember as a kid getting a blueberry muffin from DD with my dad and it was an Event. Crusted with sugar on top, full of blueberries, and sweeeeeeet!
Nowadays my palate runs to the less sweet, but I still love muffins. Especially hot from the oven. And on the day of a blizzard hot muffins from the oven sounded like just the thing to do.
Ok. It was a blizzard in the Northeast corner of the country today, and NYC only had about 7 inches. But still... there was cold, there was snow and there was wind. So therefor there were muffins!
The thing with baking gluten free is that it is really chemistry. Nothing can replicate wheat flour and the wonderful things that gluten does. However with a little chemistry and knowledge you can replace it and be happy with the results every time. The key is that there is no such thing as a cup per cup replacement of wheat flour. Doesn't work that way. Have you ever bought a $6 gluten free muffin and been appalled at how gritty it was? That's because someone did not do their homework, or were cheap, and used only rice flours. That's gross. And not good eats. When replacing wheat flour you have to use a combination of gluten free flours and starches to create texture, depth, and flavor. The great thing about this is that there are a wide variety to choose from out there, and you can mix and match once you understand how to create the right mix. For muffins, in order to get the right body and texture, you have to have a combination of protein flours and starches. It is also important to work by weight, not cups with gluten free flours. The weights of the different flours varies tremendously and so a 1/2 cup of sweet rice flour will not equal the same as a 1/2 cup of tapioca flour. This can cause your baked goods to fail, and no one wants that. So invest in a small digital scale, it will make your life so much easier!
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be changed up according to what you want to put into it. I had cranberries that I had in the freezer from when they were sold fresh at the farmer's market in November, so those plus coconut that sounded like a winning combination to me. But you can add any dried fruit, nut, or fresh fruit that is not too watery (no strawberries, bananas, or other delicate berry - however blueberries, apples, pears all are great!).
If you have a favorite gluten free all purpose flour mix that you like to use as opposed to mixing your own and you try using it in this recipe, please post a comment below and let us know what you used and how it came out. Please make sure to stick to the weight however!
Cranberry Coconut Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350.
If you have traditional metal muffin trays, you will want to use liners or grease them. I have silicone trays and I love them! No grease, no liner, just muffin!
80 grams almond flour (can substitute any nut flour)
80 grams quinoa flour (can substitute teff or buckwheat flour)
85 grams sweet sorghum flour
55 grams sweet rice flour (can substitute brown or white rice flour, but I prefer the texture of sweet rice)
50 grams of tapioca starch (can substitute potato or cornstarch)
For a total of 350 grams of GF flour muffin mix.
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I prefer to use coconut or almond oil, but any oil will do, keep in mind the flavor of the oil when you choose it however)
1 1/2 cups almond milk (you can substitute coconut milk or any other nut milk, however I would avoid soy or rice milk for baking, and try to choose milks that do not have added sugars or vanilla - too sweet!)
Mix together your flours, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. It is best if you sift them together in order to remove any lumps that might be in the flours. No one wants to bite into a nugget of flour in a muffin - blech!
In your mixer, blend together the brown sugar and oil until incorportaed. Add the eggs and milk. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the cranberries and coconut by hand.
But wait! I did not tell you how much of those to add!
Yup. I know, sorry. This is one of those to taste things. I personally like my muffin to fruit ratio to be about half and half. When ever I adapt a muffin recipe and they write "Add a 1/2 cup berries" I scoff and double or triple it. I know others who prefer the muffin to simply be the vehicle that holds the fruit together, and still others who want a couple of chunks of fruit in the muffin. So I am giving you free reign to add however much you like of both. But, if that makes you uncomfortable, this is what I added:
1/2 cup coconut
1 heaping cup frozen cranberries.
Ok - continue!
Fill your muffin trays so that each muffin is almost to the top, you want to leave about 1/2 inch of space.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. If you use a metal muffin tray, it will most likely cook faster due to the metal heating from the outside. My oven runs low, and the silicone trays creates an even cooking surface, so mine take the full 35 minutes. Start checking at 25 and if you need a few minutes past 35, don't fret. That's fine. You want to make sure that the muffins are firm and that a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool on a rack until they are room temperature. Then enjoy!
Nowadays my palate runs to the less sweet, but I still love muffins. Especially hot from the oven. And on the day of a blizzard hot muffins from the oven sounded like just the thing to do.
Ok. It was a blizzard in the Northeast corner of the country today, and NYC only had about 7 inches. But still... there was cold, there was snow and there was wind. So therefor there were muffins!
The thing with baking gluten free is that it is really chemistry. Nothing can replicate wheat flour and the wonderful things that gluten does. However with a little chemistry and knowledge you can replace it and be happy with the results every time. The key is that there is no such thing as a cup per cup replacement of wheat flour. Doesn't work that way. Have you ever bought a $6 gluten free muffin and been appalled at how gritty it was? That's because someone did not do their homework, or were cheap, and used only rice flours. That's gross. And not good eats. When replacing wheat flour you have to use a combination of gluten free flours and starches to create texture, depth, and flavor. The great thing about this is that there are a wide variety to choose from out there, and you can mix and match once you understand how to create the right mix. For muffins, in order to get the right body and texture, you have to have a combination of protein flours and starches. It is also important to work by weight, not cups with gluten free flours. The weights of the different flours varies tremendously and so a 1/2 cup of sweet rice flour will not equal the same as a 1/2 cup of tapioca flour. This can cause your baked goods to fail, and no one wants that. So invest in a small digital scale, it will make your life so much easier!
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be changed up according to what you want to put into it. I had cranberries that I had in the freezer from when they were sold fresh at the farmer's market in November, so those plus coconut that sounded like a winning combination to me. But you can add any dried fruit, nut, or fresh fruit that is not too watery (no strawberries, bananas, or other delicate berry - however blueberries, apples, pears all are great!).
If you have a favorite gluten free all purpose flour mix that you like to use as opposed to mixing your own and you try using it in this recipe, please post a comment below and let us know what you used and how it came out. Please make sure to stick to the weight however!
Cranberry Coconut Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350.
If you have traditional metal muffin trays, you will want to use liners or grease them. I have silicone trays and I love them! No grease, no liner, just muffin!
80 grams almond flour (can substitute any nut flour)
80 grams quinoa flour (can substitute teff or buckwheat flour)
85 grams sweet sorghum flour
55 grams sweet rice flour (can substitute brown or white rice flour, but I prefer the texture of sweet rice)
50 grams of tapioca starch (can substitute potato or cornstarch)
For a total of 350 grams of GF flour muffin mix.
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I prefer to use coconut or almond oil, but any oil will do, keep in mind the flavor of the oil when you choose it however)
1 1/2 cups almond milk (you can substitute coconut milk or any other nut milk, however I would avoid soy or rice milk for baking, and try to choose milks that do not have added sugars or vanilla - too sweet!)
Mix together your flours, spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. It is best if you sift them together in order to remove any lumps that might be in the flours. No one wants to bite into a nugget of flour in a muffin - blech!
In your mixer, blend together the brown sugar and oil until incorportaed. Add the eggs and milk. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the cranberries and coconut by hand.
But wait! I did not tell you how much of those to add!
Yup. I know, sorry. This is one of those to taste things. I personally like my muffin to fruit ratio to be about half and half. When ever I adapt a muffin recipe and they write "Add a 1/2 cup berries" I scoff and double or triple it. I know others who prefer the muffin to simply be the vehicle that holds the fruit together, and still others who want a couple of chunks of fruit in the muffin. So I am giving you free reign to add however much you like of both. But, if that makes you uncomfortable, this is what I added:
1/2 cup coconut
1 heaping cup frozen cranberries.
Ok - continue!
Fill your muffin trays so that each muffin is almost to the top, you want to leave about 1/2 inch of space.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. If you use a metal muffin tray, it will most likely cook faster due to the metal heating from the outside. My oven runs low, and the silicone trays creates an even cooking surface, so mine take the full 35 minutes. Start checking at 25 and if you need a few minutes past 35, don't fret. That's fine. You want to make sure that the muffins are firm and that a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool on a rack until they are room temperature. Then enjoy!
Awesome that you're (finally) starting a food blog Debbi! I'm going to experiment too :)
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