Apple Cinnamon Muffins (Gluten Free)

Hooray for gluten free muffins. And cinnamon. And apples. And every ingredient that goes into to these muffins. They make for yummy tummies!

I haven't attempted muffins until I ran across this beautiful photography + food blog called The Vanilla Bean. After oohing and ahhing over all the photography as I scrolled through her blog, I was inspired to veganize this recipe, although it didn't need much, and it came out wonderful. So I share with you the first muffin recipe for The Simple Veganista recipe collection. It's a perfect beginning to a series of gluten free muffins to come...my mind is churning as I type. You can find the original recipe at here. Go make yourself some gluten free vegan muffins and come back and take a look at her blog...truly gorgeous! As for me, I'll be dreaming of all the muffin combinations I can come up with and pinching my pennies until I can get my hands on some great photo editing software...can't wait for it all. :)

Let's talk about these muffins now shall we. They have a nice moist center with lots of flavor in each bite. Without being overly sweet they are a great way to start your day, or to snack on any time your feeling hungry. I really had good luck with this recipe and was so happy with the outcome. All her tinkering and snacking has paid off. Best of all, I didn't have to change much making this an easy recipe to veganize. I did add in some oats which you can omit if you like. Like she suggests in her recipe, these muffins can go various ways...you could try pears instead of apples...or you can add in some grated carrots along with the apples too! I love versatility in recipes... it keeps it fresh and usable. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. It's really a great muffin to have in your vegan/plant based library. Cheers to good eats!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients (makes apprx. 9)

• 2 1/4 cups almond flour*
• 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats (I used GF), optional
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds)
• 1/2 teaspoon mineral salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup grated apple, cored...with or without the skin (about 2 very small apples)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 

garnish

• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, pure cane sugar or turbinado
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• tablespoon chopped oats, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, flaxseed meal, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Next you want to combine and heat your maple syrup, coconut oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla either on the stove top on low, or in the microwave until the coconut oil is just melted, about 45 seconds (This is to ensure that everything is warm or your coconut oil will harden when coming in contact with chilled ingredients.) Once your wet ingredients are warmed and coconut oil is melted, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the grated apples and nuts of choice. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or so to let the flaxseeds and oats thicken a bit.

In the meantime, either line your muffin tins with liners or grease with coconut oil. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, set aside.

Scoop and fill each muffin cup almost to the top. Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar mixture and add a some chopped oats on top too if you like. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until toothpick comes out clean and muffins are browned on top. Let cool, remove muffins and enjoy.

*You can make your own almond flour at home by grinding your almonds in a food processor. It's very easy, takes about five minutes and will save you 2 to 3 times what you would pay for almond flour in the store. Use 1 1/2 cups raw or toasted almonds to make 2 cups almond flour. For this recipe use 1 3/4 cups to make 2 1/4 cups almond flour.

Enjoy these lovely muffins!