gluten free muffins – Nat's Ladle

How about sinking your teeth into a luscious, moist, fudgy, chocolatey cupcake…knowing that it’s paleo and vegan? A cupcake that is so delightful that you wouldn’t in the world believe it’s gluten free let alone grain free let alone paleo and vegan? Could that be something you are interested in? Would you like to try a scrumptious chocolate cupcake with lashings of chocolate cream on top (that is paleo and vegan)? I might have you covered!

These super easy and quick cupcakes (in fact, you can also use the dough for muffins or just regular chocolate cake) are whipped up in a jiffy, and while your non-paleo friends will love the indulgent chocolatey taste (while you know that this comes with virtually zero net carbs), it is the texture that is the real marvel here – moist, fluffy…just like the best cupcake you can imagine. And yes, at the risk that I am repeating myself, these babies are grain free – not only gluten free, but grain free! And they are entirely made of coconut flour, so no almonds or other nuts here (as coconut is not technically a nut).

Coconut flour is sky high in fibre, which means that these cupcakes are extremely satisfying. But do not go overboard, as exactly that fact can lead to bloated tummies if you are sensitive. Next to fibre, these delicacies also boast omega 3 from chia seeds, antioxidants and minerals from raw cocoa, healthy fats from coconut oil, and much more…there is really no need to wait for a special occasion!

Makes 18 cupcakes or 6 muffins

100g coconut flour
50g raw organic cacao
1 heaped tsp. aluminium-free baking soda
generous pinch of Himalayan sea salt
4 tbsp. or 10g stevia
2 tbsp. or 30g coconut sugar
3 egg replacers or “flax eggs” (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp milled flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp water)
3 tbsp. chia seeds, soaked in 9 tbsp. filtered water
100g full-fat coconut cream
100g melted virgin unrefined coconut oil
dash of vanilla extract
2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar
100ml warm water

For the frosting:
tin of full-fat coconut cream, chilled overnight
raw organic cocoa to taste
stevia to taste

Preheat oven to 180°C and prepare a muffin/cupcake tray. Combine coconut flour, cacao, baking soda, sea salt, stevia, and coconut sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Mix eggs, soaked chia seeds, coconut cream, coconut oil, vanilla, vinegar, and water in another bowl and mix on medium speed until homogenous. Add dry to wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending on size or after the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the tray and refrigerate. The texture improves in the fridge and they last a long time when stored in the fridge.

Mix the ingredients for the frosting according to your liking and chill until firm enough to pipe onto cupcakes. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands (optional).

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Egg Free Banana Maple Muffins

Next time you see a bundle of overripe bananas in the supermarket marked down to next to nothing, don’t walk on by! There is sooo much you can do with ripe bananas! I just cut them up and chuck them in the freezer where they keep nicely until I want to create a recipe with them – or I just have them as they are! There is truly nothing more divine than frozen bananas, and they are great in smoothies and milkshakes, too!

My hubs asked me for some cakes he could take to work, so I made some banana muffins – some without frosting for on the road, and some with frosting for a little indulgence at home! These are wonderfully moist, packed with fiber from flax, and they are delicious in many ways. Due to the mashed banana inside, there is no need to add heaps of fat, so they are are a healthy ~~cheat~~ treat for those wathing their waste lines! The vegan maple frosting works beautifully with the banana flavour, too. Oh, and they are pretty foolproof, so you better start making them now – your kids will love you for these! (My hubby is a bit like a child in that he loves unhealthy things – he gobbled these up though, so I am secretly snickering behind his back that these are healthier than he thinks. I didn’t tell him about the flax!)

Makes 12 muffins

3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
100 g arrowroot starch
50 g white rice flour
50 g brown rice flour
100 g sugar or other sweetener (you should use at least some “real” sugar to achieve a nice texture and colour)
90 g low-fat vegan spread
50 g honey
30 g flax
3 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp molasses
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Frosting
75 g powdered sugar
60 g low-fat vegan spread
5 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

For the muffins, preheat oven to 180 ° C. Melt spread, sugar, honey, molasses and vanilla over low heat until spread is melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the mashed bananas and almond milk (I know it’s tempting, but don’t eat this mix – at least not all of it!). Mix flours, flax, and soda in a different bowl, and slowly add banana-butter-mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until well combined, then scoop into muffin pan and bake for approx. 20 minutes or until muffins pass the skewer test. Turn off heat, let muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn to wire rack and let cool completely.

Only scoop the frosting on top of the muffins once they have cooled down completely, as otherwise it will melt. Whip all ingredients for the frosting until light and fluffy, then store in the fridge until stiffened up and decorate the muffins.

Tip: Mix some walnuts or other nuts or chocolate chips mixed in the muffin batter.

Enjoy!

Tag: gluten free muffins

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Gluten Free Vegan Banana Muffins with Maple Frosting