Orange Muffins (GF/V)

I recreated some of my favourite childhood muffins! The lovely orange flavour mixed with the right amount of sweetness, and nuttiness will have you making a batch of these every week- at least I do so in my kitchen. These muffins are GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN AND REFINED SUGAR FREE-can it get better than this?? I don’t think so.

Growing up, my mom was always in the kitchen baking delicious treats. It was rare that we didn’t have a cookie jar to dig our hands into or muffins on the counter to grab when we were on the go. A classic batch of muffins for me growing up were Orange Muffins. I knew one day I would need to re-create them and adapt them to how I eat nowadays. And I have to say the newly adapted Orange Muffins taste pretty damn close to the childhood classic ones. And even my picky husband LOVES them—so there’s that too.

Perhaps these will become staples in your household, as they have now been reinstated as so in my home. Feel free to get creative and add in nuts, raisins, or chocolate into these babies!

orange muffins

time to make: 50 minutes | makes 12 muffins

ingredients

• scant 1 cup ALMOND FLOUR
• 1 cup OAT FLOUR
• 1/4 cup SHREDDED UNSWEETENED COCONUT
• 1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
• 1 teaspoon BAKING POWDER
• 1/4 teaspoon SEA SALT
• 1/4 teaspoon CINNAMON
• 10 MEDJOOL DATES (pit removed)
• 1 NAVAL ORANGE (medium size)
• 1/4 cup COCONUT OIL (NOT melted)
• 1 FLAX EGG ( 1 tablespoon of flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water)
• 1/4 cup ALMOND MILK
• 1/2 tablespoon APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
• 1 teaspoon VANILLA

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F, and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil, or use muffin liners.
2. Start by preparing the flax egg, by mixing 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water and setting it aside for 5-10 minutes, until it has an “eggy” consistency.
3. Blend the 1 cup of oats into a flour using a food processor.
4. Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together.
5. Remove the pits from the dates, and blend in a food processor until a thick paste/ball has formed. Next, add the navel orange. I typically cut it in half, and then cut each half in quarters ( and YES you do add the skin and every piece of the orange to the food processor).
6. combine the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar together to curdle (5 minutes). Set aside.
7. Continue to add in the rest of the wet ingredients to the food processor (coconut oil, vanilla, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, flax egg).
8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix thoroughly, and add in nuts, raisins or chocolate.
9. Fill the muffins tin (should make 10-12 muffins).
10. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes (depending on the oven). Test with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Muffins will be browned on top but still slightly soft to touch. So it’s super important to let cool in the pan for 15 minutes then cool on the rack for 15 minutes.
11. Option to top your orange muffins with a chocolate drizzle, simply add equal parts cacao powder (or cocoa) and melted coconut oil together, and add in maple syrup- to taste. ( Example: 3 tablespoons cacao, 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and then drizzled over muffins once they have cooled.)

on a muffin kick? try my gluten-free carrot muffins.