Lemon Poppyseed Muffins (vegan & gluten free)

I originally had a different recipe planned for today, but I did some shuffling because I couldn't wait to share this recipe! Many gluten free recipes result in a slightly sandy end product. So, if we're talking muffins, a gluten free muffin will be a little bit more grainy than a regular muffin. Not my favorite thing about gluten free things! But! I am proud to say that these muffins are not sandy or grainy at all! I love that these muffins are free of dairy, eggs, gluten and refined sugar but still produce a great result!

You can see the original recipe HERE. I adjusted the recipe quite a bit - I switched the almond flour for sunflower seed flour (did you know that was a thing? I sure didn't but it works so well!). I added xanthum gum. It wasn't in the original recipe at all but I think the xanthum plays a big role in the texture of the muffin so I added it! And last, I used the zest and juice from 2 lemons instead of 1! And I might even increase it to 3 next time I make these! I like a strong lemon flavor and while these muffins turned out so good, I think yet another lemon will make them even better! Okay, on to the recipe!

Start by melting 1/4 cup of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup.

Add the melted coconut oil to a medium sized mixing bowl along with 200 ml of non-dairy milk (I always use cashew milk). I have to admit, when I first saw that 200 ml measurement, I was a little annoyed. Ha! Yes, I totally get annoyed when a recipe isn't straight forward and easy! The conversion isn't great, so I recommend using the glass measuring cup you just melted the coconut oil in to measure 200 ml of non-dairy mil. Mix the milk and the coconut oil together.

As soon as I poured in the milk, my coconut oil solidified. It turns out cold milk and melted coconut oil don't work well together. I popped the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds to heat the milk a little so that the coconut oil wouldn't harden.

Add in the zest from 2 lemons, the juice from 2 lemons, 1/2 cup of maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Then, add in 1 1/4 cup of sunflower seed flour. I made sunflower seed flour by pulsing sunflower seeds in the food processor until it resembled a coarse flour.

Next, you will need to add in 3 Tablespoons of poppyseeds.

Finally, mix in 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I use America's Test Kitchen GF flour blend), 1 teaspoons of xanthum gum, 2 heaping teaspoons of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.

I thought the batter looked a little off a couple times while making these muffins, but in the end it's just like regular muffin batter! It all works out just fine in the end!

Prep a baking sheet with cupcake liners and fill each cup to be about 3/4 of the way full. These muffins rise less than typical muffins, so you can fill the muffin cups a little more generously.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the muffins for 15-17 minutes and check them with a toothpick when they come out. Leave the muffins to sit in the muffin tin for about 15 before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

LEMON POPPYSEED MUFFINS (vegan, gluten free & refined sugar free)
yield: 12 muffins

ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
200 ml non dairy milk (I use cashew milk)
zest from 2 lemons
juice from 2 lemons
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons poppyseeds
1 1/4 cups sunflower seed flour
1 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend (I use ATK)
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

directions
1. Melt the coconut oil in a glass measuring dish and pour it into a medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Mix in the non dairy milk, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the maple syrup, the vanilla extract and the salt.
3. Next, add in the poppyseeds and the sunflower seed flour and mix to combine.
4. Stir in the gluten free flour belnd, the xanthum gum, the baking powder and the baking soda until well combined.
5. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each muffin cup to be about 3/4 of the way full.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the muffins for 15-17 minutes.
7. Leave the muffins to sit in the tin for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

See you tomorrow!