This was my first time using coconut flour, and the result was a rich, sweet muffin that is completely grain-free as well as dairy-free and, obviously, gluten-free. They are quick to make and stay remarkably moist even when stored for a few days. Coconut flour absorbs a huge amount of liquid, so very little flour is necessary. The eggs act as a binder and leavening agent and the muffins need very little honey in order to be quite sweet. I used the coconut flour from Bob's Red Mill, which I found at Piedmont Grocery. These are definitely muffins for coconut lovers only!Coconut Blueberry Muffins
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons canola oil (or melted butter)
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Whisk eggs, butter, coconut milk, honey, salt and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Sift all coconut flour (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons). Stir sifted coconut flour and baking powder into the batter and stir until there are no lumps. Fold in frozen blueberries, stirring gently. Pour batter into greased muffin tin. Bake at 400 F for 15-18 minutes. Makes 6 muffins.
Oh! This looks like something I could make for Leah: I would try three-four tbs coco milk, and sans the 3 tbs of honey...and for unsweetened things, my catch all is, after baking, to cut in half and place it in a pan with butter and brown it. So delicious!
ReplyDeleteThese look and sound absolutely divine. I will be on the look out for coconut flour. Thanks again. You have helped me a great deal with your recipes, etc.
ReplyDeleteM - Yes! I was thinking of Leah when I made them because they were too sweet for me, which means that with just coconut flour and coconut milk they'd probably be perfect. Everything is better when browned with butter, no?
ReplyDeleteLynn - Thanks, glad I can be of service.
These would be good for peysekh. do you think I could make my own coco flour by grinding up coconut?
ReplyDeleteOh, it didn't even occur to me that these might be kosher l'pesach! That's great. I can't imagine being able to grind your own, though, unless you have a flour mill, because the flour is as fine as wheat flour - Which is way finer than a coffee grinder could do. But if you figure out a way to do it, let me know!
ReplyDeleteMore coconut uses. And, that looks quite interesting and tasty. One of these days I'll get to baking with the stuff (or, perhaps my wife will). Keep up the unique recipes!
ReplyDeleteYour recipes look great. I added you to the links on Restricted Gourmet.
ReplyDeletemine just came out of the oven. ill let you know how they came out. theyre like little hockey pucks in shape. little cuties. they do FEEL light and airy...we'll see how they eat.
ReplyDeletethese look great! Ok.. have you ever tried the boxed egg substitue for your recipes? I am not suppose to eat "real" eggs --so trying to figure out how the box egg thing works. I have the box... just scared to try them. thanks. sally
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Do you mean egg replacer? Ener-G makes a good one. Yes, I've used them in place of eggs (and in addition to eggs!) in various recipes. I used to be vegan, ages ago, long before I went gluten-free - So I'm well-acquainted with egg replacer. It works in some recipes and not others - This particular recipe relies so much on eggs for binding and leavening, that I don't think egg replacer would work. However, your standard gluten-free muffin recipe (I have other recipes on this blog) will be fine with egg replacer in it, as will most quickbreads.
ReplyDeletechocolate lady: making your own coconut flour from shredded coconut is a novel idea and we've considered it, but it would not work for baking purposes. Coconut flour is dehydrated and partially de-fatted prior to being milled. Shredded coconut is ~ 70% fat and coconut flour is ~ 8% fat. There is also half the amount of fiber (per equal serving) in coconut flakes compared to coconut flour. Fat and fiber content are very important in baking, so while it may be possible to change other ingredients to accommodate for homemade coconut flour (less liquid), the store-bought coconut flour cannot be easily replaced with ground shredded coconut.
ReplyDeleteHi GFB,
ReplyDeleteAny idea whether these freeze well? I have some Bob's Red Mill coconut flour and want to give these a go. I bet they'd be yummy with fresh strawberries too...
~M
M: I've never had them last long enough to freeze, cuz I eat them right away! So I'm not sure. Let me know if you try :)
ReplyDeleteThese turned out terrible for me. Really, really eggy tasting and too moist and spongy texture. They also stuck to muffin tin pretty bad. Oh well. It was probably something I did.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous:
ReplyDeleteI've never had either of those issues, though I guess I'm used to eating low-carb muffins so the egg taste is to be expected. This recipe is based on recipes from the coconut flour cookbook - Most coconut flour recipes use a small amount of flour for a large amount of eggs, similar to how many low-carb muffins are made. Eggs are what holds it together and leavens it. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy them. They have gotten only good reviews on RecipeZaar (where I also posted them): http://www.recipezaar.com/192406
I have to say, I am also sensitive to things being overly eggy - I've gotten used to it with lower-carb baking, but sometimes the taste can really turn me off.
Have you/any of you experimented with egg substitutes (for those of us with the egg allergy too) on this recipe?
ReplyDeleteI will experiment this weekend.
Carol: I am sad to say, that while I've never tried these with egg replacer, I am almost positive they will NOT work without eggs. Here's why: Coconut flour has not only no gluten, but no other properties that make it very sticky. We do not add xanthan gum, so there is no gluten replacer. Eggs are the majority of the bulk of this recipe, not flour or any other ingredient. The reason is that eggs in this case work as both the gluten and the leavening agent. This recipe is extremely eggy. If you're looking for a recipe to try to make egg-free I would stick to a normal gluten-free muffin recipe (one that uses grain flours, xanthan gum, etc) - I've had luck with those before. But coconut flour is it's own beast and most recipes I've seen that feature it (unless they put just a tablespoon or so in a grain-based recipe) are heavy-duty egg-based and result in a light, somewhat eggy consistency that a replacer won't give. Of course if you feel like experimenting - Please do. Let us know how it turns out. You could possibly add some rice flour or almond meal to this recipe, and some xanthan gum, to give it non-egg bulk. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteActually - I have tried this and similar recipes with the egg replacer and it works beautifully.
ReplyDeleteVery similar to the texture of quick breads.
mp
Wow MP/Anonymous - I never would have imagined. I haven't experienced egg replacer as giving such an eggy texture. I will have to give it a shot - And if it works out maybe I will have to post a vegan version of this recipe!
ReplyDeleteCan you replace baking powder with baking soda. Cooking for a friend who cannot have the powder.
ReplyDeleteThey look like a real muffin and that is what I am looking for ... something that resembles the food my friend is used to having.
Thanks. -- Sha
that looks absolutely delicious - i'm going to have to try that recipe. coconut flour can be hard to find so if you can't find it locally, know that you can get it online - i found mine at shopOrganic - they have a lot of other gluten free foods and that egg replacer.
ReplyDeleteI saw coconut flour for the first time today in the health food store. I probably will buy it next time I am in town and try out your recipe.
ReplyDeletehorrible smelled of dog food, tasted a little better. there's got to be a better gluten-free way?
ReplyDeleteHow on earth did you get yours to look muffin-shaped? Mine look like globs of batter, just cooked through. They didn't rise at all or even smooth out.
ReplyDeleteElena - I've never had that problem with coconut flour. Did you remember baking powder? Did you mix everything thoroughly? Are you using finely ground coconut flour, such as Bob's Red Mill brand? Otherwise I have no idea - It could be the elevation that you're at, versus mine.
ReplyDeleteI have been experimenting with egg free coconut flour recipes. I have had some luck with using 1/4 cup of baked butternut/acorn squash per egg plus a gelatin mixture. The gelatin mixture (one of these should replace 1 egg) is 3 TBLS of hot water to 1tsp of gelatin. Place the gelatin mixture in the freezer for a bit and then add to the wet ingredients. They are not perfect yet but still working on it!
ReplyDeleteI just went in and made these - delicious! Mine were still a little wet looking after 18 minutes, so I turned off the oven and let them sit in there another 10 minutes - perfect! (I think I added too many blueberries so they took a little longer to bake.) Thanks for the terrific recipe! It's an A+
ReplyDeleteIn case anyone is wondering about the actual nutritional content of these decidedly wonderful Primaltreats, I have added the ingredients together on livestrong.com and here's what I got:
ReplyDelete1 ENTIRE BATCH (With Honey)
Cals: 862
Fat: 52.5g
Chol: 645mg
Sodium: 898mg
Carbs: 90.5g
Fiber: 14.7g
Prot: 22.75g
Sugar: 55.3g
1 ENTIRE BATCH (Replace the honey with 2 tablespoons coconut milk):
Cals: 748
Fat: 60g
Chol: 645mg
Sodium:895mg
Carbs: 41g
Fiber: 15.3g
Prot: 23.5g
Sugar: 8.26g
Either way these are are totally great and low-carb baked goods! Thanks for the recipe!
Wow fantastic..I am going for these, I wonder what they will be on my weightwatchers points....mmmm I will figure it out....fineally something yummy to make and not get sick...thank you ...
ReplyDelete