“Real Food” Grain-free Gluten-Free Muffins/Cupcakes

So recently, I’ve been going through my internet bookmarks trying to sort things out – deleting bookmarks, and clipping things to Evernote (which OMG I am LOVING by the way). And I came across this recipe for Nut Butter Muffins on Grain-Free Foodies.

Well I’ve had a jar of almond butter in my fridge for a while now, just waiting for me to turn it into a delicious baked good… so off to the kitchen I went!

These muffins are grain-free (and gluten-free I think, if you’re careful about the chocolate) and extremely GOOD. The almond butter gives them a lot of protein and some good fat, but beware… these are NOT low-carb. They may be “real food” but if you’re trying to lose weight, these are not for you. Mmm… honey.

I used:

• About a cup of almond butter – it was an 11 oz. jar, but part of it was gone already. I didn’t measure, just scooped the rest into the mixer.
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of honey – probably could’ve used less. But I was wanting something on the sweeter side.
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

I mixed everything with my electric mixer, adding the lemon juice last as the original recipe says to do.

And then in a fit of pregnancy irrationality, I threw in some dark chocolate chips.

Then spooned it into mini-muffin tins (greased). It made 16 of them, but I didn’t realize they would rise as much as they did! The tops overflowed and spilled into each other, so I definitely could’ve filled them just a little more than half full (I was closer to 2/3 or 3/4) and made more.

These baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit – bigger ones would take a little longer though.

These have amazing texture and flavor right out of the oven. I gobbled up four of them pretty much immediately. Overnight, they got a little bit dry, but if you pop them in the microwave with (gasp!) a little pat of butter in the middle (cut in half, add butter, reassemble) for a few seconds, it’s absolutely amazing. I think next time I make them I might try mixing in some melted butter before baking and seeing if that helps with the overnight texture, but really… these are nearly perfect.

I also thought they’d be great in a version with shredded apple and pie spice…. or some white chocolate and cranberries.

I’m gonna wrap this post up so I can go warm up a couple more with butter. Holy cow, these are GOOD.