If I had it my way, as a nutritional therapist but also as a true, hardcore lover of substantial, energy-building, savory breakfasts I would LOVE to get all of clients eating a breakfast comprised of quality, well-sourced fats and proteins, with an appropriate amount of carbs coming from some tasty nutrient-dense veggies! But, I get it, I really do. I know most people would rather eat a doughnut, toast, cereal, oatmeal or anything else, sweet, simple and convenient in the mornings. So for me, it’s all about the baby steps and also meeting people halfway with better options than the standard fare.
I know that mornings are generally a busy time, if you have kids you are getting them ready for school, you are probably packing lunches, getting the kiddos on the bus all while trying to get yourself ready and get out the door to work. Even if you don’t have children, the mornings are generally a very chaotic time and if you don’t plan extra time for cooking, most folks either grab something packaged and convenient or worse yet skip breakfast all together. NOOOOOO! I know that unless you are fortunate enough to work from home, cooking up some pasture-raised eggs and sautéing some greens – that’s probably not in the cards.
These Grain-free Almond Flour Muffins are basically the perfect option to all the other highly processed, overly sweetened morning baked goods. Rather than featuring grains from your more standard baking flours, these tasty little muffins are made with blanched almond flour, sweetened with a little coconut sugar and maple syrup (or honey), they feature pasture-raised eggs and healthy fats from either grass-fed butter or coconut oil. But best of all, these muffins are crazy customizable to whatever flavors you prefer.
Add your favorite fresh or dried fruits, we like blueberries, raspberries or other berries. I also love adding raisins, dried cranberries or currants. Of course, chocolate chips or cacao nibs are also never a bad idea. You can add some chopped walnuts or pecans or other nuts you love, top with hemp seeds or pepitas or shredded coconut. I also really enjoy adding fresh citrus zest and/or juice. Mix up the flavor profile and add some fresh herbs, I love fresh basil with strawberries or fresh thyme and lemon zest with blueberries. Cinnamon and raisins. Literally there is no wrong way to make these muffins.
I have shared this muffin recipe with so many of my nutritional clients, as well as friends and family and they are always crowd favorite, even if you aren’t gluten-free or paleo. I try to make a dozen every week or so for hubby and I and often times I will make a double batch and freeze a dozen for the following week.
These muffins are moist and chewy without at all being dense. They even have a really nice crumb to them and they are so much more satiating and filling than your average carb and sugar loaded muffin.
Grain-free Almond Flour Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, date sugar or maple sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 3 pasture-raised eggs
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, coconut sugar and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the honey or maple syrup,melted butter or coconut oil and whisk to combine. Stir in the almond-flour mixture, then carefully fold in the blueberries or whatever other add-ins you are including.
- Divide all of the the very dense batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the muffin pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Gently pop the muffins out and cool 10 minutes more on the rack. (Don’t cool them longer than 5 minutes in the hot pan or they’ll get soggy).
Notes
To add fresh citrus zest, add 2 teaspoons.
For fresh herbs you can roughly chop and start with 1-2 teaspoons, depending on how much flavor you want.
Try sprinkling hemp seeds or pepitas on top, just before baking.
One Response
Delicious!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! So moist and tasty! I took them out of the muffin pan right away and they weren’t soggy just like you said. Ahh so happy when recipes don’t disappoint!