Paleo blueberry muffins

One of the hardest things for me about being paleo is the lack of bakery goods. Eliminating grains from one's diet means that traditional bread, cakes, muffins and biscuits are out of the question. Healthwise, this is great. But when you crave a muffin?... 

First of all, I'll get one thing straight: most paleo baking recipes will not result in the same texture as a regular baking recipe. The gluten in wheat flour is what gives regular baked goods its texture, so with paleo recipes, a spongy texture can be difficult to achieve. They will also be less sweet, due to the lack of refined sugar, which believe me, is a good thing! Despite this, paleo baked goods can be really tasty and they are definitely healthier. This week, I tried these  blueberry muffins - my first attempt at paleo baking.

I adapted the recipe slightly. I did not have any coconut flour, so I used desiccated coconut instead (unsweetened). I also used less cinnamon than the recipe states. 2-3 tbsp seemed like a lot. I'm glad I did that. Here's a list of the ingredients that I used:

2½ cups of almond flour

1 tbsp desiccated coconut

¼ tsp salt

½ baking powder

1 tbsp vanilla extract

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup thin coconut milk

¼ cup maple syrup

2 eggs

1 cup frozen blueberries

1½ tbsp cinnamon

Simply mix all the dry ingredients (apart from the berries) together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk all the wet ingredients together (apart from the oil). Then, add the wet to the dry and mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon. Pour in the melted coconut oil and mix again. Fold in the blueberries. Distribute the mixture evenly into a muffin tin lined with muffin cases and bake at 180⁰C for 20-25 minutes.

I have to say that even my husband enjoyed these, and even with much restraint, they only lasted a couple of days!

Bon Appétit!