Grain Free Blueberry Orange Coconut Muffins

I don’t do a lot of baking with almond flour anymore; coconut flour has definitely become my grain free flour of choice lately. Although it is a little more finicky to work with, I think for baked goods, the health benefits of coconut flour outweigh those of almond flour. It is also a more frugal flour than almond flour, because you use very little of it as opposed to most almond flour recipes. That being said, almond flour is really lovely to work with, and I still do use it for some things on occasion.

 I was given a bag of sprouted almond meal to play with recently, (thanks Janet!) and have made a few tasty batches of muffins with it so far. These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins got rave reviews from my co-workers, as did the recipe that I am sharing with you now. Almond meal is a wee bit coarser than the almond flour I usually use, and it does make a difference in the texture of your finished product.  I do, however, really like that this flour is sprouted. Nuts contain something called enzyme inhibitors that can make nuts hard on your digestive system. Soaking/sprouting them reduces these inhibitors, making them easier to digest.  Nut flours are also quite high calorically, so treats made with them should be just that…treats. Great for every once in a while, but not all the time, especially if you are watching your waistline!

There is only one picture of these pretty little muffins. I forgot to take pictures before bringing them into work with me. I did make some co-workers very happy though!

Grain Free Blueberry Orange Coconut Muffins

1 cup sprouted almond meal

2 Tbsp arrowroot starch

½ cup coconut flour

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup coconut sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup kefir

Juice of 1 orange

Zest of 1 orange (organic!!!)

1 Tbsp coconut oil

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½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375F

Measure all ingredients except coconut and blueberries into an 8 cup mixing bowl. Blend well with an immersion blender, taking care to scrape down the sides if needed to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.

Fold in the shredded coconut and blueberries until nicely distributed.

Spoon batter evenly into 12 paper lined or greased muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.

Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins :)