Don’t let the simplicity of these charming muffins fool you. It’s anything but. Tucked inside are a combination of sweet ripened banana and slightly tart (yet sweet) plump blueberry embedded throughout a moist, delicate crumb. It’s full-on fruit, kissed with some sugar sweetness – what you’d expect from your morning muffin. The hint of ginger and nutmeg in here rounds out the flavors nicely while enhancing the banana and blueberry flavor. My boys love finding one tucked into their lunch boxes.
Sure wish I had these as a kid.
This recipe yields many muffins, luckily they are freezer friendly for storing some in the freezer for another time. I didn’t store extras, this time, deciding to bake extras for Michael and Ely’s teachers and aides as treats for Teacher Appreciation Week.
Both are in a special education day class (in different schools) with wonderful teachers and aides who give them the support (and love) they need with such patience and enthusiasm to help them thrive in school – something I (and hubby) do not take for granted. They are a wonderful group of women who also all happen to be Moms of boys (can you believe it) so I went with these simply adorable pale blue polka dotted cupcake liners. Wouldn’t these also be cute for a baby shower?
Sometimes I like to make this as loaves instead of muffins, especially for a brunch or as a hostess gift – this recipe is easy to make into loaves and will make two. It’s one of those recipes that I come back to when I want something comforting and familiar to please many palettes and show them they matter in my life.
These are allergen-free (top 8 allergen-free if you switch coconut milk for rice milk), and a good recipe to have on hand when baking for many dietary restrictions. The funny thing is that 99% of the time the recipient of these muffins (or loaves) are not gluten/dairy or egg free, but they want the recipe anyway because they love them. How cool is that! And with Mother’s day around the corner …this is one to bake for that special Mama.
Happy Tuesday friends!
- 140 grams (3/4 cup) organic white rice flour, plus 10 grams (2 teaspoons) divided (All Bob’s Red Mill flours)
- 115 grams (3/4 cup) sorghum flour
- 62 grams (1/2 cup) tapioca starch
- 27 grams (1/4 cup)
gluten free oat flour (Bob’s Red Mill is certified gluten free) - 4 grams (1½ teaspoons) ground psyllium husk
- 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup coconut milk (not canned)
- 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) non-dairy butter (Earth Balance soy-free spread)
- 1 cup raw sugar (turbinado)
- 3 medium very ripe bananas (many brown spots), diced or roughly mashed
- 4 tablespoons chunky applesauce (strain any remaining liquid)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey or Frontier Organic is gluten free)
- 1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C) Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners or two standard-sized loaf pans, greased and lined with parchment paper with a slight overhang (for easy pull-out). Baking time for loaves is in the notes below.
- Reserve the 2 teaspoons of organic white rice flour for blueberries later. Combine all other flours, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, ginger and nutmeg in a bowl, set aside. Measure coconut milk then
add the measured apple cider vinegar to the measuring cup, do not stir, and set aside. This is the “buttermilk”. - Toss reserved white rice flour with blueberries in a small bowl to combine well (this will prevent the blueberries from all sinking to the bottom).
- In a stand mixer set with the paddle attachment, cream the non-dairy butter and raw sugar on medium-high speed (start on low to prevent sugar from splattering all over) for 3 minutes until pale and appears light and fluffy.
- Reduce speed to medium, add diced (or roughly mashed) bananas to creamed butter/sugar. Immediately after, add chunky applesauce, and vanilla extract. Alternating liquid and flour: pour in half of the “buttermilk”, then half flour blend, followed by remaining “buttermilk” then the remaining flour blend until just blended.
- Turn off mixer then gently fold in blueberries. Using a small ice cream scooper or tablespoon, spoon in batter two-thirds full.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a
toothpick comes out fairly clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. Store at room temperature, covered, for 2 days or refrigerated up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, covered in plastic wrap (to prevent freezer burn) then stored in a freezer-safe container. - Notes:
- Be sure to dry blueberries well after washing before combining with flour.
- Mixing fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips with a little bit of flour helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom and well throughout the baked goods.
- Be sure to drain any excess liquid from applesauce that could thin out the batter. The batter should look like a cake batter - thick, not thin or runny, and slow to pour off the scooper. If it appears too thin, add 20 grams of either white rice flour or sorghum.
- For baking loaves: As noted above, grease the loaf pans then line with parchment paper (to hold paper in place) with an inch or two of overhang to pull out the loaf with ease, but also give it a little more grease (I like to use avocado or canola oil spray) before pouring in the batter. It will fill two standard-sized loaf pans about ⅔ full, they will rise just to the lip of the pans.
- Bake for 55-65 minutes. A toothpick should come out with a slight crumb. Cool for 30 minutes. Separate the loaf from the edges with the dull side of a knife then pull out when cooled. Cut thick slices and serve. Storing and freezing are same as for muffins.
- Alternatively, you can swap out blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts, if you like - feel free to vary, all are delicious alternatives.
- Some Notes on psyllium husk: Psyllium husk is derived from the seeds of the herb Plantago
ovata , a bulk-forming dietary fiber that contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. If you like to bake sweets or bread I encourage you to give it a try. It works exceptionally well as a binder ingluten free baking and as a substitute to guar or xanthan gums; something I try to avoid when I can for health reasons. The soluble fiber in the husk binds to water (or any liquid) andgels up, similar to what beans, peas, and seeds do, without imparting any gummy, chewy texture. It is also good for the heart as well as the entire gastrointestinal system (for healthy regularity). I buy Organic,non -gmo pharmaceutical grade whole psyllium husk from India that I grind, as needed, in my spice grinder (it’s really a mini Krups brand coffee bean grinder I bought at Bed Bath Beyond for $20- that grinds up my spices, flax, chia, and husk easily when I need them). Be sure to store it in a cool dry place, like flours, or it will cake up. - Note on baking pans: the darker the cupcake pans, the faster they will bake. If using dark pans, check on them at the 20-minute mark. I use PFOA, cadmium-free, lead-free ceramic muffin pans (sold on Amazon) that are white so they do take the full 30 minutes to bake. Same goes for loaf pans, check on them 5 minutes earlier if using darker loaf pans (I use all-clad stainless steel, that bakes perfectly in 60 minutes).
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