Gluten Free Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins

You won’t find one ounce of guilty eating with these Gluten Free Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins! They’re made with coconut oil, pure maple syrup, applesauce, and banana. Snack on them all day!

I am on a healthy muffin kick over here! Seriously, I was supposed to be cleaning my house and getting ready for our weekend camping trip today…BUT, I baked two batches of muffins instead.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s like whenever there is something productive to be done, I opt for baking. It’s my way of avoiding responsibilities. Eh, there could be worse habits in life, I guess.

Now I’ve always had a little bit of beef with muffins. I mean muffins are amazing! They are delicious! There is nothing much better than a warm, sweet, cakey muffin waiting for you in the morning. Except, I NEVER eat muffins for breakfast.

For starters, muffins are loaded with sugar. Let’s be honest, they are glorified cupcakes with no frosting.

Secondly, they are filled with fat. Not the good kind of fat from things like avocados, nuts, dairy, etc. that I eat every day. Most muffins are made with high trans fat oils like canola oil or melted butter. Although, I do like using melted butter in lots of my recipes.

And last of all, most muffins contain little to no whole grains. I am one cranky beast if I skip out on my morning time whole grains. Holla to the whole grain goddess over here that loves her plain old shredded wheat!

So although I love making muffins and I love eating muffins, I reserve my muffin consumption for dessert time. Call me lam-o, but that’s just how we roll over here.

I have to say that Taylor from FoodFaithFitness has really inspired me to change my muffin ways. Pretty much all of her recipes are not only gorgeous, but super healthy. She makes muffins/desserts all the time that are nutritionally sound.

Now I’m not about to skimp on my desserts (they’re meant to be sugary!), but by golly, I would like to eat a muffin for breakfast every once in a while. And to eat a muffin for breakfast, I need them to be healthy and leave me feeling just as guiltless as my bowl of shredded wheat.

And that is exactly what these Gluten Free Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins are all about.

NO refined sugar.

NO butter, or dairy for that matter for all you dairy sensitive friends out there.

AND loaded with whole grains, plus some extra protein from the coconut flour.

It doesn’t get much better than that. These mini muffins are the perfect accompaniment to a wholesome breakfast or the star of your midday snack. Heck, they’re so healthy you could eat them for both if you choose. And doesn’t it feel great to choose!

Usually I’m pretty strict on how many baked goods Braelyn eats, since she is my sugar fanatic and she LOVES baked goods. But with these cute little muffins, I just turned my head and let her snatch up 2 or 3 with no care at all. Hello, not only are they healthy, but they are mini! You could eat 4 or 5 and not blink an eye.

These muffins have a pleasant undertone of almond flavor from the almond butter and a subtle sweetness from the pure maple syrup. The applesauce/banana combo also contributes to the sweetness while assuring that these muffins stay soft and moist.

I wouldn’t say these taste like banana bread at all. There is just a hint of banana flavor, but nothing overpowering. In fact, Ben could taste the applesauce flavor more so than the banana. So if you’re not a banana fan, I would still give these a try.

Even Emry, my not too keen on muffins girl, gobbled up 3 or 4 of these the day I made them. Which, by the way, can I just say what a freaking cute sidekick she is in the kitchen?! This girls comes running into the kitchen at the slightest clink of a pot or pan, just for the chance to help me bake/cook. I’m pretty sure she’s destined to be a chef.

And since it’s Valentine’s Day coming up, I couldn’t resist baking these mini muffins in some festive heart paper liners. I guess you could say baking muffins for my family is my way of showing them some love.

So how about you serve up your special Valentine a batch of these un-sinfully sweet, healthy Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins so you can splurge on all the calories you want for your super fancy dinner and dessert??? Sounds like a stellar plan if you ask me!

What healthy substitutes do you put in your muffins?

Gluten Free Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

You won't find one ounce of guilty eating with these Gluten Free Almond Butter Applesauce Muffins! They're made with coconut oil, pure maple syrup, applesauce, and banana. Snack on them all day!

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 2 dozen mini muffins

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup almond butter
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup mashed banana (about 1 small)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup brown rice flour
• ¼ cup gluten free oat flour
• ¼ cup potato starch
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, egg, mashed banana, and applesauce until smooth.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, sift together remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well incorporated. Allow batter to sit for 10 minutes to absorb moisture.
4. Fill muffin tins ¾ way full and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until tops spring back at the touch of a finger.
5. Gently remove muffins from tin and cool on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before eating. Store leftover muffins in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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