Gluten Free Carrot, Apple and Spice Muffins

I’m not usually a fan of carrot cake: It takes a dollop of cream cheese frosting to get me excited about it. But when Vanessa told me she went gluten free (and has - gasp - sworn off things like croissants, pie and danishes), I began scouring the bookshelves at my nearest bookshop to gather recipes. 

This one comes from The Kitchen Witch, a cute cookbook I picked up in Chicago. According to the author, the ingredients in it – carrots and apples – were often used in love potions, symbolizing masculine and feminine energy. Apples also symbolize a strong connection between the afterlife and spirit world, a reminder of our enduring connection to the departed. The ranch’s energy has a way of reminding us about our past, present and future, so I was on board to bake these to bring some healthy vibes to the table.

Aside from requiring a ton of elbow grease to grate an entire bag of carrots (worth it, for how moist and chewy they turned out to be), they are packed with nuts, other fruits and spices. We ate all of them by the end of the weekend (and we bet you will, too!)

Makes: 12 small muffins

80g almond flour

60g fine semolina flour

30g cornstarch

10 ml baking powder

5 ml ground cinnamon and ginger

2.5 ml nutmeg and ground coriander

2 eggs

200g light brown sugar

125ml coconut oil

350g finely grated orange carrots

1 large apple, peeled and finely grated

Zest of one orange

60g finely chopped pecans

For topping: 65ml light brown sugar, 5ml ground cinnamon, 2.5ml ground ginger

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners (or grease it with coconut oil, like we did)

In a large bowl, stir together the ground almonds, semolina flour, cornflour, baking powder, and ground spices.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar and coconut oil until smooth.

Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, and beat quickly until combined (don’t overmix!)

Fold in the carrots, apples and pecans.

Divide the batter between the muffin tins and sprinkle with the brown sugar and spice topping.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown. (Note: They didn’t rise much for us, despite being almost full—so don’t be afraid to fill the cups before baking!)

Adapted from The Kitchen Witch cookbook (Amazon, $15)
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