Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This is a terrific recipe for a breakfast muffin! I had leftover apples from my apple cake yesterday so I decided to use them up in some of my favorite muffins.

The Ingredients!

First, whisk the egg (I just wanted to throw in an action shot!).

Next, whisk in the milk and oil.

Add the rest of the ingredients: flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and grated apple. Mix well. Batter will be lumpy.

Pour batter into muffin pan. Fill each well about halfway so there is room for the topping.

Now we make the yummy topping!

Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

Sprinkle the topping on the muffins. I used my hands...it made it easier to sprinkle!! I always like any excuse to get my hands dirty while cooking!

It makes a wonderful gluten-free breakfast with the cranberry granola!

Look how beautiful they turn out!

Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 40 Minutes

Yield: 12 Muffins

Muffins:

1 Egg*

1/2 cup Almond Milk (Dairy, Soy Milk, etc.)**

1/4 cup Canola Oil

1 1/4 cup Oat Flour

1/4 cup Tapioca Flour

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 cup Grated Apple

Topping:

1/3 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Chopped Pecans (or almond meal)

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease muffin pans with butter or shortening. Whisk egg and whisk in milk and oil. Mix in remaining ingredients. Batter will be lumpy. Pour into muffin pans and top with topping.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

*Egg Free Version: Use Ener G Egg Replacer. It tastes the same with this as it does with actual eggs!

**Milk Free Version: If you don't want to use any milk or milk substitute, you can use 1/4 cup Apple Juice Concentrate and 1/4 cup water.

Printable Recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Cranberry Granola

Breakfast! It's always a struggle for me to deal with allergen free breakfast. I love this recipe for granola. I try to make it once a week and eat it all the time! It's really good and very fast. It requires very little effort but tastes fantastic. Plus it's rich in Omega-3's!

Serving Ideas: Great with vanilla almond milk as cereal, serve on top of Coconut Milk Yogurt, or eat as a snack! I usually break my big batch of granola up into individual serving sizes, put them in sandwich size ziplock bags and they make a great snack or meal on the go!

The players.

First, pour 2 tablespoons of safflower oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread evenly on the pan. Put another large rimmed cookie sheet, with nothing on it, in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, sugar, egg whites and salt.

If you had whole pecans as I did, beat them down to pieces! I love doing this, it gets out all of your aggression. If you don't have any aggression, buy the pecans already chopped!

Add oats, pecans and flaxseed meal.

Mix well until the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the wet mixture.

Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

After 15 minutes, stir the granola! Bake another 15 minutes.

After the 2nd round of 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir again. Sprinkle the cranberries over and drizzle the honey over the top. Try to evenly distribute the honey and make sure you cover all of it. If you have to use some extra honey...it won't be the end of the world. In fact, you'll probably be glad you did!!

Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and stir again.

Transfer the granola from the hot cookie sheet to the cold one you put in the refrigerator. This will help it cool faster and stop cooking. Trust me, you don't want this overcooked - I've done it. It's not nearly as yummy!

By now, your house should be smelling AMAZING and you will really want to eat this. Be careful, it's hot. You may burn your tongue...as I did this afternoon while making it. So I advise at least some cooling!

For the Sugar Free Version:

This is how the final product turned out (the one on the left)! It tastes just as great. Everything is the same in the steps of the recipe, just swap out the brown sugar for 1/2 cup of Agave Nectar. It's a great sugar substitute that's natural and has a low glycemic index!

Cranberry Granola

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 55 Minutes

4 Tbs. Safflower Oil, Divided

3/4 cups golden brown sugar (packed)*

4 Egg Whites

1/2 tsp. Coarse Kosher Salt

3 cups Certified Gluten-Free Oats

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal

1 cup Dried Cranberries

1/4 cup Honey

*Sugar Free Version: Substitute 1/2 cup Agave Nectar for Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put a large rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator with nothing on it.

Pour 2 tablespoons of safflower oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread evenly on pan.

In a large bowl, whisk oil, sugar, egg whites and salt. Add oats, pecans and flaxseed meal. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes and stir the granola. Bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir the granola again. Sprinkle the cranberries over the top. Drizzle the honey across the top. Bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven. Remove cookie sheet from refrigerator and pour hot granola onto cold baking sheet to cool completely.

Transfer to a storage container or zipper bag for storage. Will last about 1-2 weeks.

Printable Recipe:

Cranberry Granola