2013 seems to have arrived in darkness. The Newtown shooting in December got wrapped up in a very personal way with my own sadness over the yartzheit of my father. Add in a few miscellaneous physical issues—a mild but stubborn respiratory bug that began (and periodically continues) with vertigo, a strange bout of heart palpitations, a stabbing hip pain—and it’s been hard to muster enthusiasm for the new year.
These muffins came along just in time, spreading a bit of sunshine in the kitchen. They are a slightly tweaked version of these gluten-free morning glory muffins, themselves a tweak on the original.
Mmmmm! Muffins!
Boy Scientist gave them two thumbs up and promptly dubbed them “Mish Mash Muffins,” which seems pretty apt to me.
Now all I need is a little Downton Abbey escapism, and perhaps things will start looking up again.
For those of you with multiple allergies: I apologize. This one is chock full of nuts, coconut, and eggs. I’m pretty sure the chopped nuts are expendable, but I cannot vouch for using egg replacer or omitting the coconut. Let me know if you give it a try.
Mish Mash Muffins (makes about 24 wheat-free and dairy-free muffins)
Dry ingredients
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups King Arthur brand gluten-free multi-purpose flour (see note)
½ tsp. xanthan gum (see note)
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground gloves
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Chunky ingredients
2 cups grated carrot (about 4 large carrots)
1 apple, peeled and grated
8 oz. can of crushed pineapples, drained (see note)
¾ cup raisins
½ cup shredded dried coconut
½ cup chopped pecans (or another nut, if you prefer)
Wet ingredients
3 large eggs
1 cup light oil (I used ¾ cup olive oil + ¼ cup grapeseed oil)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease muffin tins or line with paper.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add all the chunky ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to mix well. The dry ingredients will try to sift through to the bottom of the bowl. Don’t let them.
- Add in the wet ingredients and stir until you have a thick batter.
- Portion out into muffin cups.
- Bake 25-30 minutes (test with a cake tester).
- Cool a few minutes, remove to a rack, and commence devouring.
NOTES
I have learned from the inimitable Colette Martin that the weight of your gluten-free flour matters. A lot. If you use a lighter or heavier flour, you’ll want to adjust the amount. King Arthur is apparently on the heavy side.
If your flour already includes xanthan or guar gum, omit the xanthan.
I didn’t have crushed pineapple on hand, just pineapple chunks. Chop them finely and you’re good to go.
