simple good muffins {v&gf recipe}

At our house, we just love muffins. They are a dessert and a nutritious snack all in one especially if you prepare your recipe with a few good-for-you ingredients! And with spring here the real one just around the corner, it’s nice to be able to enjoy something good that looks pretty too ;)

This is a simple muffin recipe that’s great for any time of the day. The decorating came later with my daughter’s help and that’s when they got transformed to Spring Muffins. That morning we still had tons of snow covering the ground and we needed a little happy something to much on ;) The recipe is very basic though – which means it’s neutral enough to add in whatever you like ;)

Simple Vegan & Gluten-Free Muffin Recipe:

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup organic cane sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

add in:
2 tbsp ground flax seeds (mixed with 3 tbs of warm water)
1/2 cup of melted coconut butter (slightly cooled) or light olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 3/4 cup of almond milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp agave nectar (or honey if not vegan)

add in at the end: 1 cup of fresh fruit or a combo of dried fruit with nuts or seeds etc.

You can bake as is for a simple recipe or add in some dried or fresh fruit, or a combination of nuts and seeds of your choice.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Start with mixing the flaxseeds with warm water and set aside (they need time to form into a gel like thickness (this is replacing your eggs ;)
Mix all your dry ingredients together except for the sugar and set aside. In a blender, mixer or mixing bowl combine the oil with the sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the rest of the ingredients dry and wet slowly and mix well to combine. Optionally, throw in some diced up fresh or dried fruit and nuts/ seeds – whatever you have in your pantry that you like (I usually let my daughter decide on the add ins ;)

This is an all natural gluten-free and vegan recipe. By all natural I mean it omits the xantan gum and the egg-replacers you might often see in vegan baking recipes. Why?  Well, they are  food additives that are not unsafe to consume, but still I do feel like with all the changes to my diet I should also try to avoid as many artificial additives as possible. You may not have egg allergies or be vegan to try this recipe but sometimes it’s good to change things up a little. If for example you want to avoid some extra cholesterol that eggs contain or traditional oils have. Or you want to substitute an all-purpose flour for a less-starchy healthier alternative to support weight-loss – – this would be the way to go!

Enjoy! And don’t forget to dress them up a bit for more fun ;) For that, you can also get the kids involved!