Do you ever notice that when you can’t have something, you want it even more? Ever since having to go gluten-free because of Luke’s sensitivities, it seems like I want bread and baked goods even more than usual.
Of course, nearly all of my go-to recipes for such things involve whole wheat flour. Go figure. I made these gluten-free carrot coconut muffins in an attempt to satisfy my cravings for something carb-y without whole wheat flour.
In general, I find gluten-free baking to be a little scary. So many gluten-free breads or muffins are loaded with crazy ingredients that I’m just not down with. I wanted something simple, that would still be moist, and that would taste normal. Since I’ve baked with coconut flour with good results before, I decided to try a new spin on my raspberry coconut muffins. The result was a delicious muffin that is not only gluten-free, but also totally grain-free.
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Grain-free carrot coconut muffins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Healthy and tasty muffins!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup shredded carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cups of a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with non-stick cooking spray or oil and lightly flour them; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, apple sauce, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk well until the mixture is thick and without lumps.
- Evenly distribute the batter among the muffin cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the muffins start to turn golden brown.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 137
- Sugar: 9.6g
- Sodium: 139mg
- Fat: 6.9g
- Carbohydrates: 14.6g
- Protein: 4.1g
We just returned from vacation last night and I’m wishing I had a batch of these ready to eat today. Instead, I have to go to the grocery store to restock our fridge and pantry. Carrots are definitely on the list.
I don’t have any liquid sweetener can I use brown sugar ECT. thanks
I made these muffins last night. I refrigerated them and when grabbing one for breakfast this morning I noticed they had a little green color in the muffins. Did this happen to you? Do you know what it might be caused from? The only variation in the recipe was I had to use 1 “flax egg” as I only had 5 eggs. I ate the muffin, and it was yummy, just curious if anyone else has experienced this?
Hmmmm…very strange. I haven’t had this experience and I can’t really imagine what would cause it. I may be some chemical reaction or something…I have learned that sunbutter can turn green when you cook it so who knows.
Okay so I did a quick google search and found this:
The green flecks are carrot but the colour has been changed by the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in the mixture. Some pigments are sensitive to pH balances and will change colour if they are in a very acid or very alkaline environment. In the case of carrots they can change from orange to green if they are in a cake batter which is too alkaline and the alkaline in the ingredients comes from the bicarbonate of soda. If it is a recipe that you have baked successfully before then it is likely that the bicarbonate of soda was not mixed into the cake batter properly. If this is the case then make sure the dry ingredients are either sifted or whisked together thoroughly before the carrot and liquid ingredients are added. If it is a new recipe then it may be that you need to reduce the amount of bicarbonate of soda slightly.
The muffins are still safe to eat despite the colour change. It is also worth mentioning that blueberries, sunflower seeds and walnuts can have their colour changed in this way (the walnuts turn blue/purple). from here http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/2582/ Interesting!
Thank you for looking into this!! It is intersting. Glad there is some explanation for my green tinted muffins 🙂 I am still enjoying them.
Thanks for the great recipes.
I just printed this out tonight and I am making these tomorrow, they look delicious. 🙂
Enjoy! Let me know what you think.
This look amazing! Personally, gluten-free baking drives me crazy with all the different ingredients you need. that’s why i love grain-free baking. You usually only need 1 or 2 flours and a nutbutter 😀
Unfortunately I can’t have nuts right now, either, so I’m really restricted. It’s been pretty tricky!
Holy cow, those look delicious.
I can tell I have not been on for a while. I did not realize you had to go gluten-free. My husband has been gluten-free, since January. Like you had said, gluten-free recipes have all sorts of odd ingredients. So far, I have refused to use the gums. I am also hesitant of using the other flours with much frequency, since I do not want to reduce symptoms of one problem and create another. I have found a cookbook that uses almond flour, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. The recipes turn out delicious and I do not have to use any of the odd ingredients.
I look forward to reviewing and trying the recipes you post.
I also can’t have tree nuts (except coconut)! It’s been quite the journey breast feeding this time around. Poor Luke hasn’t been able to tolerate me eating a lot of foods, so I am currently not eating dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts. I’m going to start adding foods back in at 8 months to see if he’s started outgrowing the sensitivities. Let’s hope!
I’ve had 50000 carrot coconut muffins this month alone [haha i have been recipe testing like a mofo] but there have been zero grain free cc muffins in my belly. that needs to change obvi =)
You won’t be sorry!
Last time I tried making muffins with all coconut flour they turned out so bad. Grainy, dense and falling apart to the touch. I didn’t try using applesauce, I wonder if that makes the difference?
Hmmm…I don’t know. I’d have to look at the rest of the recipe you used. I think one key is using enough eggs. (Obviously more than normal–this recipe uses 6!) These (and the raspberry coconut muffins) are not dense at all–they are actually super light. They do have a different texture, but I’m not sure if I’d call it grainy. If you still have some coconut flour, you should try these. I think you’ll be surprised!
It was probably the eggs, then. I don’t remember how many I used but not more than a standard recipe would call for.
Yes, you definitely need less flour and more eggs and liquid than a traditional recipe using regular flour. Coconut flour is highly absorbent, so if you treat it like other flours I can see how you’d get a dense result.
I just bought a bag of carrots yesterday with the intention of making a carrot muffin or cake or something delicious— perfect timing! ….I would be craving alllll of the things I couldn’t have if I were you, you are such a trooper and AMAZING mommy to your two little ones!
Glad you are all back safe- hope vacation was super fun for the whole family!
Thanks, Julie. You are too sweet!
I don’t have any liquid sweetener can I use brown sugar ECT. thanks
I haven’t test it that way, but it may work. You might have to increase the apple sauce so the ratio of wet and dry ingredients works.