Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

Once you've got a gluten free flour blend that works in everyday recipes gluten free baking gets a whole lot easier. I use my EGFG flour blend in about 80% of my baking.

• EGFG gluten free flour blend (sweet rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour and millet flour) - I call this my everyday blend and use it in most of my baking. I encourage you to find a blend that can do that for you.

• Baking soda - In this recipe I just use baking soda. Gluten free cooks often use both soda and baking powder to lighten up their baking so feel free to experiment.

• Cinnamon - A small amount makes a big difference.

• Xanthan gum - This is the glue that adds structure to gluten free baking. It seems expensive but is used in tiny amounts. Just buy it!

• Carrot, raisins, walnuts, coconut & apple - This is what I consider the classic ingredients for a Morning Glory.

• Cooking oil - I'm moving away from vegetable oil and use olive oil in almost all of my baking.

See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.

Instructions

You don’t need an electric mixer for most muffins, just two bowls and a spatula. In this recipe there's one extra bowl with all the healthy ingredients. Mixing the apple, carrot, nuts, raisins and coconut together first helps to ensure everything is evenly combined. It's worth it!

A portion scoop speeds up the process plus the uniform muffin size ensures they bake evenly. Buy 3 sizes of scoops, you'll never be sorry!

Substitutions and Variations

Xanthan gum - The best substitute for xanthan is guar gum. Use it in equal amounts in any recipe calling for xanthan gum.

Carrot and apple - Measure 2¾ to 3 cups total and use any combination of grated carrot, apple or zucchini. Substitute some of the total measurement with drained, crushed pineapple if you like.

Nuts - Walnuts or pecans are my favourite but any nuts or seeds will add the crunch you've looking for. For nut-free version try pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Raisins - Substitute with dried cranberries or finely chopped dates.

Coconut - I think Morning Glory Muffins should have coconut but feel free to omit it if you don't have any or don't like it. Stick to the same total amount of cups and use any combination of all these ingredients.

Get The Tools

Every kitchen needs tools so buy quality, many of them will last decades. Here are some of the tools I use to make muffins:

• Regular size muffin pan in 6 or 12 cups, my choice for everyday snacks
• Portion scoops to efficiently portion the batter making uniform size muffins
• Mini size muffin tin for little hands or just a change from the ordinary
• Silicone cupcake and muffin pan, 12 cup
• Ceramic coated muffin tin
• Regular round silicone muffin liners or a set of different shaped muffin liners

Storage

Gluten free baking goes stale more quickly than baking with wheat flour. Store baked goods in an airtight container as soon as they have cooled completely. Double wrap if desired. Using xanthan gum also helps with freshness. Freeze them right away if you're not eating them within a few days. You know you're going to do that in the end, right?