Muffins, Muffins and more Muffins

My mother never made muffins very often when I was growing up. We mostly relied on pancakes, waffles and the like for breakfast. Sure there were plenty of cupcakes, but I don't remember much in the way of muffins. My husband, on the other hand, grew up eating muffins. Specifically, "oatmeal muffins," and some with mini-chocolate chips in them. The oatmeal muffins, in particular, were eaten coated in peanut butter and applesauce giving them an even higher nutritional boost. When we got married, my Mother-in-law, Donna, gave me her recipe for both. I would make them occasionally, which my husband appreciated and slowly I started to appreciate the peanut butter and applesauce addition. I played with the recipe a bit as I started to build up my baking skills, altering it to make it into a oatmeal coffee cake.

with peanut butter and applesauce

After changing over to gluten free, I wanted to still be able to create a good muffin. One that would be as versatile as possible. One that I could vary the taste, but not have to have 10 different recipes to do so. I was starting to make muffins a bit more regularly to accommodate my husband, who had a cholesterol condition.  He wanted to alter his normal morning bowl of oatmeal with something else that was healthy, quick and convenient to take with him to work in the morning.

With a just a few changes to one of my already altered muffin version, I found success! They have become a staple in our house, and I usually make a batch almost every week. I refer to them in my recipe book to as "little gems," and have made a number of versions with the same basic recipe. I think have even converted by kids, who were never big muffin eaters to enjoying them as well!

Here is the recipe from the book, with a few suggestions on how to make variations. It is a rarity in gluten free baking to have flexibility, so I hope you will enjoy being able to personalize them. As long as you are careful to keep the proportions right you can get creative and tailor it to your personal tastes. 

"Bran" Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 (or to taste) cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon binder mix or xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup rice milk or equivalent
1/2 cup applesauce or other fruit "sauce" of choice*

*I have found you can play with this as well. I will sometimes use some 0% Fage Greek style yogurt here, or pumpkin puree and add some spices. You may have to adjust sugar content depending on what it used.

2 eggs or 2 egg whites, or 1/4 cup water + 4 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1 tablespoon canola oil (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla, or other spices of choosing (optional)
1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped nuts, fruit (like blueberries) or mini-chocolate chips (optional)

Combine and mix well. Now for the part you can "play" with. As long as it adds up to 1/2 cup total you can have your choice of ingredients here. I like to use:
1/4 cup rice bran + 1/4 cup oat flour
or
1/4 cup rice bran + 1/4 cup almond flour
or
1/4 cup oat bran + 1/4 cup cornmeal

The possibilities are endless (well, okay, not really endless). But, you get my point. Some other add in's could be: buckwheat, quinoa flour, amaranth, coconut flour (may need to add a bit more liquid the batter) and/or teff.

After adding your choice of 1/2 cup; mix well and then spoon into greased muffin tins. This works better than the paper liners. The cooked muffins often stick to these, particularly when you eat them warm right out of the oven. At this point to can leave plain, sprinkle with course decorator sugar for a pretty touch, or go for it and make a crumble top out of 2 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup all purpose flour. Bake at 400° F for about 12 - 15 min. Remove from pan to cool.

Makes one dozen.

I tend to store these in an unsealed plastic bag or in a loosely covered container.

Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's out there!