No dairy. No eggs. No salt. No oil. No gluten. No sugar.
I know what you’re thinking: No taste. Wrong!
I intended it to be a breakfast item. But by the time I was done making it, I simply had to call this a dessert. And I don’t do desserts. Not just because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anymore, but because I. Can’t. Bake. Luckily this recipe doesn’t require any particular skill in that department.
So where does the flavor come from? The cranberries, apples and cinnamon. And where does the requisite sweetness come from? A very ripe banana, the apples, and plenty of dates. Trust me, you don’t need any more sweetness that what these provide. If you do, I think there’s an intervention program for that.
Because I used almond and coconut flour, these muffins don’t rise like they would if you used regular baking flour. These also have a very dense, thick bite – similar to a bran muffin. They take quite a bit longer to bake, so just be patient. Topped with pureed raspberries, they really are worth the wait.
For those following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live Plan, these ingredients comply with both the Weight Loss and Life plans. However, if you are on the weight loss plan, I suggest that you limit your portion to about 3 – 4 mini muffins per week and freeze the rest.
Ingredients (makes 36 mini muffins)
Wet Ingredients
1 pint fresh cranberries – or frozen/thawed before using
1 cup chopped pitted dates (about 5 ounces before chopping)
2 medium Gala (or any sweet) apples – about 2 cups chopped in food processor (or 2 cups unsweetened applesauce)
1 ripe banana – sliced
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups unsweetened vanilla soy/almond milk
1 tsp. arrowroot powder + ¼ cup water
Dry Ingredients
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
Topping
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 -2 tbsp. water
Stevia, agave nectar or maple syrup (if needed for very tart berries)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack(s) in the middle of the oven or wherever the hottest spot is. My oven is a bit fussy and cooks best in the upper half.
2. Place apples and cranberries in a food processor and mix until well chopped. Add remaining wet ingredients and blend for about 2 minutes until mixture is as smooth as possible.
3. In a large mixing bowl, run all dry ingredients through a sieve as much as possible.
4. Gently fold wet ingredients with dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
5. Lightly coat 2 non-stick mini muffin tin with a light dusting of coconut oil. (My non-stick tin isn’t so non-stick anymore and needs help, but if yours doesn’t, you can skip this step.)
6. Place about 2 tablespoons of mixture into each muffin cup.
7. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes until tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the muffins. Also, when lightly pressed, the top should slowly spring back to its original position. Depending on your oven, you might need to turn the tins around half-way through baking to get even heat.
8. While muffins are baking, prepare the topping. If using frozen raspberries, let them thaw completely. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave if you prefer. This will make about ½ cup of topping, so feel free to double or triple the recipe depending on how much topping you want to use.
9. Place raspberries and 1 – 2 tablespoons of water in a small food processor and blend until completely smooth. If raspberries are too tart for your taste, add a small amount of the sweetener of your choice to achieve desired taste. Place in a separate container and chill in the refrigerator.
10. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes in the pan. Then remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to completely cool for about 15 minutes.
11. Arrange on a serving dish and cover with as much raspberry topping as desired.
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