Lemon Almond Flour Muffins (Optional Strawberry Sauce)
I am a health nut with a sweet tooth. A huge sweet tooth. And I’m always developing and playing with recipes that are super healthy, totally whole and satisfy my cravings. These almond flour muffins are so good, and definitely accomplish my (pretty much daily) mission.
Inspired by the almond flour muffins in Casey Means’ new book Good Energy, I decided to make them my own. I’ve been making her recipe for black bean brownies every week since I read the book, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. She uses dates as a sweetener in the brownies, and so I thought, why not try using dates in these almond flour muffins?
Her muffin recipe is the only one in the book I think where she calls for some type of natural sweetener like xylitol. Ever since I got the scare about erythritol, I’m avoiding anything I’m not 100% about. I trust Casey, but I also trust dates. And I feel like she may have only included a sweetener to make things easier and more approachable.
Though I’m all about easy, if it’s something I’m going to eat frequently I need it to be foolproof healthy, too. So these muffins are a compromise: possibly the healthiest muffins in the world, but you do have to blend up some dates for them.
(Or, honestly, you could use ½-¾ cup maple syrup or coconut sugar if you really don’t feel like blending dates.)
What is Date Paste?
Date paste is exactly what it sounds like: a paste of blended dates. The easiest way to make date paste is by soaking whole dates in hot water for a few minutes before blending them in a high-speed food processor. You can add small amounts of water if necessary.
I have been making the switch in my kitchen from refined sugar to date paste whenever possible. So far, the only two things the substitute hasn’t worked for are tea/coffee and salad dressing. What can I say? I like my dressing on the sweeter side. So for those two I’m still using stevia.
(If you have any brand recommendations for stevia, please let me know below! I like SweetLeaf, but I’m still not crazy about silica and inulin on the ingredient list since I try to keep the kitchen as *whole food* as possible.)
Using date paste in these muffins meant that I needed to change the recipe a bit, too. Almond flour by itself isn’t much of an absorber compared to something like wheat flour. But since I wanted to keep these muffins gluten free and away from wheat, I used half almond flour and half coconut flour.
The combination of almond and coconut flours work together quite well. The almond flour keeps the muffins high in healthy protein, while the coconut flour helps absorb the little bit of extra liquid from the date paste (as opposed to dry sugar and sweetener that we’re not using).
Check out my date paste recipe here.
Health Benefits of Almond Flour Muffins
Coconut Oil: One of the safest oils in the kitchen, coconut oil can be heated to high temperatures without its structure changing and becoming toxic (like olive oil). It has a high concentration of medium-chain triglycerides, popularly referred to as “MCTs.” MCTs are antimicrobial, can reduce appetite, and make your skin look great (or your pet’s skin).
Dates: High in copper, iron and vitamin B6 (the mood stabilizing vitamin), dates are a delicious natural sweetener and a hefty source of fiber. Dates also have one of the highest levels of antioxidants compared to other dried fruit. As anyone who has been pregnant knows, dates are commonly suggested to induce natural and easy labor, and are also recommended for postpartum healing.
Lemon juice: Though it tastes acidic on your tongue, lemon juice actually helps your body be more alkaline. Lemons are packed with vitamin C, and a particular citrus fiber that has been shown to lower cholesterol (though you might need your juice pulpy to get that last benefit).
Optional:
Strawberries: Polyphenols from the bursting redness of these berries are strong antioxidants which fight against age and disease. Strawberries are anti-inflammatory, low in sugar and have more vitamin C than oranges!
Ingredients for Almond Flour Muffins
- 10 dates
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1.5 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 eggs
Optional Strawberry topping:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup water
How To Make Almond Flour Muffins
Soak the dates in a mug with hot water while you get everything else ready.
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin tray with silicone muffin cups or spray with baking oil (I use avocado oil).
In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Use a microwave-safe bowl to melt the coconut oil (whisk any little lumps away). Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and zest, then eggs. Lastly, add the date paste and mix until combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The mixture will be pretty solid.
Divide into muffin cups and bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let sit for 5 minutes.
Optional: Add strawberries and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the strawberry topping over your muffins when serving.
We love breakfast around here! If you’re looking for more breakfast ideas, try these:
- Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola
- South African Rusks
- Chia Seed Greek Yogurt with Fruit
- Almond Flour Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Vegan Sheet Pan Pancakes
- Any of these delicious smoothies…
The Book That Inspired This Recipe:
This new book is an absolute must. I’ve never read anything that explains so accessibly and beautifully what is going on inside of our bodies, and how to make the most of the one special life that we have. A wonderful read or gift for anyone you care about.
Prefer Your Breakfast In A Cup?
Packed with vitamins, minerals and protein, Cook & Crumbs smoothies are a perfect way to fuel on the go. Try fan favorites, like banana date smoothie or decadent chocolate smoothie.
Check out all our smoothies!
In The Mood For Shopping?
Check out my top kitchen tools of 2024. They range from larger investments that can drastically improve your life to smaller items you may never have known existed. Perfect for gifts. Or yourself!
Lemon Almond Flour Muffins (Optional Strawberry Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup date paste
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup 1.5 coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 eggs
Optional Strawberry Topping:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Make date paste.
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin tray with silicone muffin cups or spray with baking oil (I use avocado oil).
- In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Use a microwave-safe bowl to melt the coconut oil (whisk any little lumps away). Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and zest, then eggs. Lastly, add the date paste and mix until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The mixture will be pretty solid. Divide into muffin cups and bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Optional: Add strawberries and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the strawberry topping over your muffins when serving. (You can warm the sauce in a small saucepan first if desired.)
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