Carrot Spice Muffins {paleo, dairy, refined sugar,nut & gluten free}
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- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup ground flax
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup water
- 8-10 dates chopped
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- or 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt
I remember the day when I would buy those pre-made “whole grain” breakfast muffins that claim to give you all kinds of nutrients. Well, I am no healthier for eating those poor excuses of a muffin disguised as a glorified cupcake made with “unreal” ingredients!
I shriek at the thought of eating donuts or cupcakes for breakfast {oh and I did long ago} but I know many Americans do fall prey to this fast food component and claim that as breakfast. Now, I know what Momma meant when she said we needed to eat a wholesome breakfast to start the day off right!
I am wiser today and I do declare healthier for eating these delicious Carrot Spice Muffins! I like to think of this muffin as “a little healthy meets delicious” in fact, I was even going to name these Carrot “Cake” Muffins because they really taste like a moist cake and was inspired by my Coconut Carrot Cake recipe!
I worked diligently to get these muffins to rise but if you are familiar baking with alternative flours like tapioca, ground flax seeds, coconut flour and nut flours, you can understand my dilemma. For a long time I accepted that my baking would be dense and heavier rather then light and fluffy.
It is just the nature of these ingredients to add a dense texture due to it’s abundance of fiber, protein and not to mention that gluten is MIA in these choices. If you are new to Spoonful of Health, I should tell you that my family is gluten-free due to allergies and many of our patients at the Natural Medicine Clinic for various health reasons stay away from gluten too. Be assured eating and baking gluten-free doesn’t have to be the elephant in the room these days!
The SECRET, I believe to create a fluffy gluten and grain-free muffin, after many hours in the kitchen is adding the right amount of baking powder and baking soda with an acidic ingredient. To get a good chemical reaction that would give me extra rise I added lemon juice since these are low in sugar and dairy-free it needed other acidic ingredients!
I felt like I was in science lab 101 when the foaming bubbles {carbon dioxide} occurred as I mixed the lemon juice with the baking powder and baking soda! As I gingerly added it to the mixture it was apparent I was on to something! I held my breath as I watched these beauties in the oven rise and then rise a bit more and then they stayed that way after cooling! I was over the moon in muffin heaven! A little chemistry {baking soda/powder and lemon} in the kitchen can go a long way.
Baking with a Paleo mindset, dairy is usually avoided, however dairy’s acidic nature is the very component that is needed also to get that rise out of the muffin. Other foods that are acidic in nature are yogurt, brown sugar, vinegar, cream of tartar, molasses, applesauce, honey and as you know lemon juice which allows carbon dioxide to give a rise in your recipe.
I should clarify, gluten-free is different than grain-free because rice, buckwheat, sorghum is technically a grain but is naturally gluten-free. These gluten-free grains are not part of the paleo philosophy but in moderation these grains can be super healthy and filling to enjoy. Gluten-free grains also bake differently, sometimes they don’t brown as much, can have a flatter appearance {like cookies} and be dense in texture. However, I promise they taste great and I have fooled many people through the years!
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup tapioca flour
- ½ cup ground flax
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- ½ cup water
- 8-10 dates chopped
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp maple extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- or 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. pink Himalayan sea salt
- In a mixer add eggs, water, shredded carrots, extracts, and pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
- Chop dates and add. If using coconut sugar add that too.
- Blend gently and add flours, flax, sea salt. Do Not Mix at this point.
- Squeeze lemon juice in small bowl add baking soda and powder.
- Add the foaming mixture now to the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend all the ingredients together gingerly on low.
- In a muffin tin with liners fill ¾ full and back 20 to 25 min. at 350 degrees until golden brown.
With a Spoonful of Health,
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4 Comments on "Carrot Spice Muffins {paleo, dairy, refined sugar,nut & gluten free}"
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Hi Dawn!
so…… these muffins are in the oven but I wasn’t sure what to bake them at? I am baking them at 350, hope that’s right? Just a kind nudge letting you know the temp isn’t in the recipe. I’m sure my muffins will turn out and be AWESOME. I will come back and comment how they turned out. Thanks for the recipe.
Annie
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry that I didn’t see this when you had them in the oven. Yes, 350 is accurate and most of my baked goods I use that temperature. Thank you so much for letting me know. I sure hope you enjoyed these. I am craving them now that I am reminded of it! Thanks again and for stopping over to Spoonful of Health!
Hello,
I made these for my co-workers. When taste testing the batch, I felt that my co-workers wouldn’t think them to be sweet enough for their taste. So to remedy this I just added 1/4 c. of pineapple juice along with the water. Needless to say they left the plate in no time flat and received rave reviews!
That is a fantastic idea!! In the notes of this recipe I warn if a palate is not used to eating clean and is tainted with the typical high sugar intake {like many of us…I was to} it is always best to add extra sweeter. I love that you used pineapple juice!! I love using honey or the coconut sugar. I am going to share your idea on my social media! Thank you Dawn!