Paleo baking is tough. I love experimenting with and creating recipes, but trying to make Paleo baked goods is a whole different frustrating ball game. I’ve got recipes I’ve been working on for baked goods that I just have to set aside and revisit later, because after too many failed attempts, you have to just step away for a minute and come back with fresh eyes and try to figure it out again.
I don’t love baking with a ton of nut flour, just because it’s so high in fat content. Healthy fats for sure, but way more than the handful of nuts you would normally eat. I just ordered some new coconut flour from Nutiva (which, btw, I have always pronounced new-tiv-e-ah, and Brandan pointed out when I was making these that it doesn’t actually have that extra “i” in it, so it’s likely pronounced new-tiv-ah, or nut-e-va? – anybody know?) and when it came, this recipe for these coconut flour blueberry muffins was on the back of the bag.
I made them as an experiment, just to try out the recipe, but when those suckers came out of the oven and looked like this, I knew I had to share the recipe with you!
So fluffy. So crispy around the edges. Ok, not as fluffy as a gluten filled muffin might look, but still. They stayed just like this, long after they cooled! Usually when you bake Paleo, the bread or cookies or muffins come out of the oven looking super fluffy and perfect, then you take them out of the oven, and 5 minutes later they completely collapse. Then when you take them out of the pan, they either fall apart or are all wet and soggy. I’ve baked many other blogger’s recipes (some out there that I would consider the “pros”) and their bread recipes just come out with a soggy bottom, even though it looks perfect in their photos. It’s the pits!
Not these blueberry muffins. These were the bee’s knees. I also loved that they were packed with chia seeds, but once they baked, you don’t even notice they’re in there. You can keep them in an airtight container on the counter for about 4-5 days, or in the fridge for a bit longer, probably about 7-10 days. I say probably because mine didn’t last long enough for me to experiment – we ate them all in about 3 days. And by we, I mean Brandan had about 3 and I had the other 9. These are great when you need to grab something quick in the morning and don’t have time for a full-on meal. You could also freeze them, and pull them out occasionally when needed, so you don’t feel like you have to eat all 12 at once like I did!
The recipe below is straight from the back of the bag of flour. I don’t know if I’m violating any rules by putting it there, but since I can’t virtually share the coconut flour bag with you, I’m putting it there. The recipe called for fresh blueberries, but I only had frozen ones that we picked from a local farm when they were in season, and they worked just fine. I threw in a couple of extra berries for good measure, too, because I like my blueberry muffins to be somewhat exploding with blueberries. I also think you could eliminate the extra tablespoons of honey; I don’t think they’re needed – it would reduce the sugar content a bit, and I don’t think it would compromise the flavor of the muffins.
However you choose to modify, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did, but maybe just over a few more days. 🙂
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 6 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Grease a muffin tin with a bit of coconut oil.
- Combine the coconut flour, sea salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a blender, mix the honey, coconut milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Add chia seeds and blueberries and fold in gently.
- Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full with batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and cooked through.
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
These didn’t have the egg taste that some recipes do when they call for so many eggs? I’d like to try them, but don’t want to use up all my good eggs if I’m going to regret it. I hear what you’re saying about trying recipes and they turn out a failure (in our own opinion). Cost of good ingredience is already high without ending up with something not enjoyable to eat. (I usually eat it whether I enjoy it or not, just because I refuse to waste the money). LOL
Hi Denise! I didn’t feel like they had an egg taste, but I definitely think things like that are different for different taste buds – you might taste something much stronger than I would, and a third person might taste something different from either of us. I also eat the things I make that don’t turn out to be my favorite, because eating paleo is expensive – I am with you on that! Let me know if you try the muffins and if you find them to have an egg taste if you do!
Could these possibly be done without the chia? Or is adding them important to the structure? Just wondering because these look fantastic and I have everything to make them except the chia! Haha
Hi Ashley! If you’ve never worked with chia seeds before, they are…well, weird! They absorb liquid, and turn it into sort of a “gel.” Obviously they’re not making a jelly consistency here, but they are definitely part of the structure in the wet/dry balance, so I don’t think you could leave them out of this one. Sorry!