In general, muffins are one of the easier recipes to make, and this also applies to gluten free baking. They especially lend themselves to the novice gluten free baker. You can truly make them your own by including any number of healthy ingredients, leaving out dairy, substituting a  healthier type of sugar, and, of course, substituting your own gluten free flour preferences. We should mention that we have not made this particular recipe with a commercial gluten free flour mix, as we prefer to make up our own, largely as a result of allergies to so many of the ingredients included in many of the commercial blends.

The last few weeks have been so busy for us that, for the most part, all we had time for was our participation in TWD, and even with that we couldn’t accomplish what we had set out to do this past Tuesday. There just wasn’t enough time. Our sincere apologies to those of you awaiting our contributions. We thought we would make up for this by posting a recipe we converted into gluten free a while ago. The recipe was inspired by  Kim Barnouin’s Ultimate Everyday Cookbook (Skinny Bitch), a fun and insightful book, filled with creative recipes and ideas. Highly recommended! We altered the original recipe significantly to not only make it gluten free but also emit the use of soy and regular sugar. This muffin recipe has turned out to become a favorite in our family and just about perfect for a Fall, or Winter dessert. It  can also be further altered, by baking the entire recipe in a bundt pan, instead of the suggested muffin pan.

You will need the following ingredients. The original recipe suggested that it would make about 12 muffins, but there is enough batter to overflow into a second muffin pan, or, if you wish, just use one large bundt pan.

Cinnamon  Banana Nut Muffins

• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 2/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. guar gum
• 2 Tbsp. rice bran
• 1-1/2 tsp. gluten free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. Himalaya salt
• 2-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided (add 1/4 tsp to 1/3 cup of the walnuts)
• 1/3 cup grass-fed butter, or non-dairy alternative, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 /4 cup vanilla yoghurt, or coconut yoghurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2/3 cup walnut, chopped (1/3 cup added to the dough, 1/3 set aside for the topping
• 1/4 cup sucanat

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).

You will need two smaller bowls and two larger bowls. Add the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar to one of the smaller bowls. Mix well and let sit until the milk begins to curdle.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, guar gum, rice bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and mix well.

To the remaining large bowl, add the room temperature butter (or dairy free alternative), and blend with the coconut sugar and the egg, using an electric mixer. Mix until soft and creamy. Add the yoghurt, the previously prepared milk mixture and the vanilla extract. Continue to blend with the electric mixer. Add this mixture to the other large bowl containing the flour blend. Mix together with a spoon until well incorporated. Add one third cup of chopped walnuts and the mashed bananas. Spoon this mixture into the paper-lined muffin cups (or greased bundt pan). Fill the muffin cups until they are just over two-thirds full. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining third cup of chopped walnuts with the sucanat and the remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Blend well. Sprinkle a small amount of this mixture on top of each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

The batter rose beautifully while baking, creating that natural muffin top, so sought after in gluten free baking – that is on the muffins only, if the muffin top shows up on you, adjust your consumption accordingly ;-).  The flavor was perfect, combining the natural sweetness of the bananas and the richness of the coconut milk, adding a delicious moisture to these muffins. The added coconut sugar is just right without overwhelming the flavor of the other ingredients. The walnuts added just the desired amount of crunch and texture.

Enjoy with your favorite beverage.