These almond butter muffins are gluten-free, dairy free, and sugar free with a coconut garnish, studs of chocolate chips, and nutty taste. They are excellent to send with your children for school lunches or to enjoy as a healthier version of an indulgent snack.
How to Make Almond Butter Muffins
Almond butter muffins are incredibly easy to make utilizing just two bowls and a muffin tin. They include coconut flour and tapioca starch, which are both gluten-free flours that make these muffins deliciously fluffy while keeping them allergy-friendly.
To start making the muffins, you should preheat the oven to 375° F. Some ovens take a while to warm up sufficiently, so it is always good to get this out of the way at the start. Next, you can line a muffin pan with either parchment or silicone cups.
The silicone ones are washable, and therefore, reusable. Parchment ones are great at releasing coconut flour batter from the liner (unlike regular paper liners which are incredibly sticky).
Making the Batter
To make the batter, you start with the dry ingredients first. In a bowl, you whisk the coconut flour with the tapioca starch, baking powder and soda, and salt until combined. Next, you will need a separate bowl to beat your wet ingredients together. These include eggs, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut milk, and vanilla.
While you could use a whisk here, a beater is best as it will ensure the almond butter gets distributed in the mixture smoothly. Next, the dry ingredients get added to the wet ingredients and stirred together to make a smooth batter. At this point, you can stir in the chocolate chips, which bake to gooey perfection in the oven.
To divide the batter between the muffin tins, I like to use a cookie scoop as this ensures they become evenly filled. However, you can use a measuring cup too if desired. Once filled, simply garnish them with some shredded coconut and chocolate chips before baking.
You will know that the muffins are baked when you insert a toothpick into them and it comes out clean. However, you may be tricked if you hit a chocolate chip. In that case, just check again with a clean toothpick. The total time for baking should only be 15 to 18 minutes.
Since these dairy free muffins will still be quite delicate out of the oven, I recommend allowing them to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them to cool the rest of the way on a wire rack. This will allow them to firm up a little before you transfer them.
Baking with Coconut Flour and Tapioca Starch
If you bake gluten-free recipes often, then you are likely already familiar with baking with coconut flour and tapioca starch. Coconut flour is a highly absorbent flour. It also has a lovely fragrant coconut taste that lends itself to desserts extremely well. If you purchase a bag from the grocery store, it may cost quite a bit more than traditional wheat flour, but it can go a long way. This is because you tend to need less of it for baking recipes due to how much liquid it can absorb. It can be used in many baked goods such as cakes, loaves, cookies, and of course, muffins.
Tapioca starch is another sweet-tasting flour that is perfect for gluten-free baking. It comes from the starchy part of the cassava plant and is widely used in Asia, Brazil, Portugal, Africa, and the West Indies. It is excellent as a thickening agent for puddings but you can also toss it with your chosen fruit for pies to thicken up the liquid.
In the case of these muffins, the coconut flour absorbs the liquid ingredients allowing the muffins to set. It also helps make them exceptionally fluffy with a lovely crumb. Meanwhile, the tapioca starch adds some chewiness to the muffins to make them extra appealing.
If you purchase these to bake this almond butter muffin recipe but aren't sure when you will use them again, rest assured that you can store them in the freezer. Simply make sure they are in a sealable, freezer-safe bag and hold the flours there in between uses to keep them fresh. When you need them, they will thaw very quickly on the countertop.
Can I Make These Almond Flour Muffins Nut-Free?
If you require these muffins to be nut-free, you can feel free to substitute the almond butter for seed butter instead. Sunflower seed butter would work particularly well due to it having a similar fatty nature that should allow you to get a similar texture in the finished muffins. Sesame butter (Tahini) also works well.
Random Questions
Almond butter adds a nutty taste and moisture to baked goods like muffins, enhancing flavor and texture.
The combination of almond butter, coconut milk, and other wet ingredients, along with the absorbent nature of coconut flour, ensures moist and fluffy muffins.
Pros include a nutty taste, moisture in baking, and health benefits. Cons might be the cost compared to traditional flours. However, a little goes a long way.
Almond butter is often considered healthier due to higher levels of monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, and minerals. It's a nutritious choice, especially for those with peanut allergies.
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Recipe
Almond Butter Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips plus extra for topping
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone cups.
- In a bowl whisk together coconut flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt. In a separate bowl beat eggs, maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add dry to wet mixture and stir until evenly incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Fill batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle each muffin with shredded coconut and top with a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake muffins for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store covered.
Nutrition
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Simone
Unfortunately mine turned out to be extremely dry. I followed the recipe to the detail. Maybe my coconut flour is wat more absorbent.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for your review, Simone, and I'm sorry they turned out dry. Coconut flour baking can be a little challenging as there aren't uniform brands of coconut flour on the market.
Eva
Sooo good! Just made them!
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Thank you for your positive comment, Eva! 🙂