Victory! Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins

Can I tell you? I have been craving muffins for some time now.  With this new lack of gluten in my diet, muffins aren't easy to come by anymore.  Sure, I can go buy gluten free muffins but there is nothing like a homemade, fresh out of the oven, warm muffin making the house smell all good. I miss baking in a big way!

Last weekend I took a gluten free cooking class and learned some tips and tricks to gluten free baking along with some yummy recipes.  It was such a blessing to me.

In the cooking class one of the recipes that we made was a poppy seed muffin that was really good.  I couldn't wait go home and make some on my own but change it up a bit. First of all I needed to add a whole grain flour to the basic flour mix she gave us.  The original recipe didn't have any whole grains in it and it was nutritionally void. The idea behind the recipe from Terry (who created it) is that these are not something you eat very often.  She found a good mix of flours that works and wants to stick with it because GF baking is a tough job. She bakes daily for her restaurant and it is a treat for us gluten free folks to have a homemade muffin or basket of fresh baked bread with butter on the table while eating out. I am grateful for her basic starter recipe to be able to adapt it to use in ways that fit our family.  Something she kept saying was "a recipe is a guide not a rule book."  It is so true but you have to have a good basic recipe to start with.  And now I have one!

While I can't share her recipe with you I can share my recipe that I created from her base recipe. 

These are really yummy muffins. Please try them.  They have a slight coconut taste and are lightly sweet.  You can add any fruit like dried cranberries, raisins, fresh mangoes or peaches, strawberries, raspberries, etc.  Another note is that if you want to cut back on the sugar content you should be able to substitute half amount honey, banana or applesauce. This substitution would probably work for the oil too.  *I have not tried the applesauce or banana yet but plan on it next time. If you try it, let me know how it works out. Pretty please?

Gluten Free Blueberry Coconut Muffins
Adapted from a recipe by Terry Meihaus

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour mix (choose your favorite)
1 cup coconut flour (this flour is so nutritious for you)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (if your all purpose flour doesn't have it in it already)
1 cup sugar (or half sugar subsitute like honey as mentioned above)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (can be almond or soy milk too)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. gluten free vanilla extract
12 oz. fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray (with gluten free spray) 24 muffin cups or you can use cupcake paper liners.  Whisk dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl stir wet ingredients together (not blueberries).  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Do not overmix. Fold in blueberries.  Bake at for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.   Cool for 10 minutes on wire racks.  Makes 24 muffins. 

Blessings!