I never used to enjoy baking, because I wasn’t comfortable with using white/wheat flour or refined sugar, and I wasn’t sure what alternatives were available.  But ever since I discovered almond, coconut, chickpea, etc. flours and figured out how to bake with alternative sweeteners like maple syrup and raw honey, I’ve been obsessed with creating healthy treats!  Gluten-free flours made from almonds, coconut, or chickpeas are especially good because they pack a lot of protein, which is great for pairing with sweeteners, as protein lowers the impact that sugar has on the body.

These muffins have simple ingredients, lots of nutrients, and could easily double as cupcakes. Adding diced strawberries, cherries, or raspberries would be delicious!

Ingredients (makes approximately 6 large or 12 regular sized muffins):

2  1/4 cups almond flour

1/2 cup fair trade cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of sea salt

2 tbs coconut oil

3 eggs

3/4 cup raw honey or Grade B maple syrup

Splash of real vanilla extract or a few drops of vanilla stevia

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325

Melt honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan or in the oven in a glass baking dish; remove from heat and allow to cool

Blend honey/oil, vanilla, and eggs with an immersion blender, or by hand until thoroughly blended

Add dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended

Line or grease muffin pan; spoon batter into cups until nearly full

Bake for 35 minutes (minimum); check with toothpick to test doneness

Refrigerate after cooling, and enjoy!