blueberry crumb muffins

Winter has finally hit Ft. Collins.

I know you’re probably thinking, but you post all of those photos snowboarding and snowshoeing in knee deep snow!  Very true.  However, we have much milder winters than where we play in the mounatians, which is about 2 hours West.  And this winter in particular has been unusually warm and dry.

It has been pretty fabulous to hop on my road bike 6 weekends in a row during the middle of “winter,” but I’m not looking forward to a higher probability of summer fires.

Anyway.  This snowy weather has been making me crave warm and cozy comfort foods all week long!

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

Muffins definitely equal comfort in my mind, and I just realized I have zero blueberry muffin recipes. I have blueberry pecan cornbread and blueberry breakfast cakes but no muffins. This is absurd.  I adore blueberry muffins and they seem like such a go-to breakfast/snack/dessert that it’s about time I add them to the recipe lineup.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

My favorite gluten-free flours for quick breads and muffins are: buckwheat flour, oat flour, almond meal, and a little ground flax.

For whatever reason this combination has proved itself time + time again.  Far better than any whole wheat treat I ever made in years past.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

This combination results in a tender, dense but not heavy, perfectly moist muffin.

Studded with blueberries and lightly sweetened with honey and sucanat.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

And, ohhhh that crumb topping.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

The icing on the cake.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

Print this!

Blueberry Crumb Muffins

gluten-free, dairy-free // yields 12-14 standard muffins

adapted from: banana bread

for the crumb topping: be sure to make this first

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sucanat, or coconut sugar/brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons oat flour
• 3 tablespoons softened coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash together with a fork or your fingers until fully combined and crumbly.  Set aside.

for the muffins:

recipe slightly adapted 3/12/13

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 3/4 cup raw buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 3 tablespoons sucanat, or coconut sugar/brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• zest of 1 lemon or 1 orange, optional
• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/4cup blueberries

1. Preheat your oven to 350* F and line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
3. Whisk the eggs in separate bowl and then whisk in the applesauce, milk, honey, and vanilla until fully combined and smooth.  Whisk in lemon or orange zest if using.
4. Vigorously whisk in the coconut oil and immediately pour the wet mixture into the dry, to avoid the coconut oil from ceasing.
5. Stir with a large spoon until just combined.  Do not over stir.
6. Fold in the blueberries with minimal stirring.
7. Promptly spoon the mixture into the muffin liners about 2/3 the way full.
8. Sprinkle the crumb topping on each muffin and bake for about 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  The tops will turn golden brown.
9. Let completely cool before peeling the liner off.  Muffins hold together fully once cooled.

notes/subs: For altitude around 5,000’ increase your oven to 370* and use 3/4 tsp baking powder.  Melted butter can be subbed for coconut oil.  Raw buckwheat flour can easily be ground to a fine flour in a blender, magic bullet, or coffee grinder.  Be sure to use raw groats, which are a light yellow/green color.  I do not advise using roasted buckwheat/kasha and do not recommend Arrowhead Mills buckwheat flour.  Frozen or fresh blueberries will work.

blueberry crumb muffins // edible perspective

If by some strange chance we can’t polish these off I have big dreams of turning them into a blueberry muffin bread pudding bake.  We shall see…

Ashley

apple cider muffins with apple butter cashew cream

Every year I think the world is coming to an end when summer produce, specifically fruit, is not available anymore.  It hurts my brain to think about not having strawberries for another 9 months and an even longer wait for peaches.

But then fall happens and I forget all about those sweet summer fruits and remember that I’m quite obsessed with apples.  You can find apples—so many different varieties—anytime of the year, which might make apple season seem a bit humdrum. 

However, apples during apple season are anything but ordinary.  The first stop I make at the market each week is the apple stand for apple “seconds.”  You know, the apples that have a miniscule ding in them making them 50% cheaper.  I love them.  I wish I had another mouth + stomach to eat more of them.

My current obsession is over Jonagold apples.  They are super crunchy + sweet but also have a nice tang.  I know you are all probably like, “but what about honeycrisps!!???”

Jonagolds are the winner for me this year.  Hands down!

So that is my story about apples and fall and how I could care less about strawberries and peaches right now.

Apples rule.

Print this!

Apple Cider Muffins with Apple Butter Cashew Cream

gluten-free, dairy-free // yields 12 – 14 muffins

Gluten-free baked goods are notorious for being dense, but these will surprise you with their soft + fluffy texture.  They are very lightly sweetened with honey and lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  Perfect for breakfast.

• 1 cup gluten free oat flour
• 3/4 cup raw buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 3/4 cup peeled + grated apple
• 2/3 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup apple butter fruit juice sweetened
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat your oven to 350* and line your muffin tin with liners.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Whisk the apple cider, honey, apple butter, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl until combined.
4. Whisk in the melted coconut oil last and then pour the wet mixture into the dry.
5. Stir with a large spoon until the batter is just combined.
6. Blot the grated apple lightly with a paper towel and fold it into the batter until evenly distributed.  Make sure to use the large holes on your grater.
7. Let sit 3-5 minutes to thicken.
8. Pour evenly into muffin lines and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  The tops should be golden brown and a toothpick should come out moist but not bone dry.
9. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5min and move them [in the liners] to a cooling rack.
10. The muffins will firm up once fully cooled.

notes:  Apple butter is a key ingredient in having the apple flavor come through.  It contains no actual butter and has about 1/2 of the sugar as a typical fruit juice sweetened jelly.  You can grind oat flour in your high speed blender using gluten free oat groats, steel cut oats, or rolled oats.  For buckwheat flour it’s best to use raw buckwheat groats, not kasha or toasted buckwheat.

Apple Butter Cashew Cream

• 1 heaping cup of raw/unsalted cashews
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup milk
• 2-3 tablespoons apple butter fruit juice sweetened

1. Soak the cashews overnight or for at least 4 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the cashew and put in your blender.  It works much easier to have over 1 cup.  If you use less, it will be hard for them to blend together.
3. Add 1/4 cup milk and blend, scraping the sides as needed.  Add more milk to smooth out to a thick and smooth consistency.
4. Measure out 1/2 cup of the cashew cream and mix in apple butter until it’s as flavorful and sweet as you like.
5. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.

*This is a very creamy and spreadable topping.  It’s not thick like frosting.

Tomorrow is Saturday.

Saturday = market day = apple day = happy

Ashley