Honey Cornmeal Muffins

Dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Now that I am back to a day job during the week, I appreciate my weekends even more. They are days for doing nothing, catching up, grocery shopping, seeing friends, long walks and puttering around the kitchen. 

I always find myself in my kitchen. Granted my one bedroom apartment is pretty much just two rooms: my bedroom and my living room/kitchen. I am just happier standing in front of my stove, watching Project Runway while I make something. I think that I always like it because I remember those slow weekend mornings when I was younger. Every now and then, my dad would make use pancakes. Or we would have bratwurst, sauerkraut and eggs. And then there were other mornings where I would be able to make something with either my mom or my dad. 

Food is so tied to emotions and memories (but really, there are studies on it and I wrote a whole paper about it in college), so I always find myself trying to evoke those moments. That is where these muffins come from. 

Muffins were not really something that I grew up with. I got to have them during the summer on Martha’s Vineyard when I trekked into town with my dad in the morning for newspapers, coffee and muffins. As an adult, I do not really eat a lot of muffins, but there are the occasions when they are all I want. I happen to like muffins that are less cake like and more like a cross between cake and biscuit. I want them to be a little dense, super moist and just the right amount of sweetness. 

These muffins are a mix of all of that. By using honey and maple sugar, they are free from refined sugar and those sweeteners each impart their own special flavor to the delicate crumb. Corn meal along with some other flour give a muffin that can hold it shape, but still a slightly crumbly quality (in the best way). 

These muffins also happen to be dairy and gluten-free. As I like to do, let’s run through the ingredients. 

Olive Oil 

I adore olive oil in just about anything. When it comes to muffins, it is the perfect source of fat. Yes, butter might have flavor, but olive oil will ensure a moist muffin. The natural acidity of extra virgin olive oil makes a tender crumb and the fat will stay in the muffin even after baking and a day on the counter. 

I buy organic extra virgin olive oil from my local specialty store or one from Whole Foods. Pick the one that works for you and your budget. 

Wildflower Honey 

I love honey. I used to eat it by the spoonful as a kid (until my mom caught on and put the kibosh on that). I grew up with the honey from the bear-shaped bottle, but now I have gotten a bit pickier about the honey I buy. The flavor of honey varies based on what the bees eat and pollenate. Clover honey is the most popular (and widely sold), but if you look at locally made honeys, you get some more variety. I love local wildflower honey because you get such a bright, floral flavor. Not to mention, when you buy local, you are supporting local apiarists (fancy word for beekeepers) who are doing what they can to protect the bees. 

You can buy any honey you like, just make sure that you are not using the creamed honey for this recipe (you can certainly top the finished muffins with it though).

Maple Sugar 

Maple syrup has a fabulous flavor, however, since I am already using honey in this recipe, I did not want to add another liquid sweetener to the mix. Maple sugar is the answer. It gives the muffins the light color, while adding just the right amount of sweetness and moisture to the mix. I tend to use maple sugar as a substitute for cane sugar. It works beautifully with coconut sugar in cookies. 

I buy maple sugar from Amazon (where you can get more at a better price). If you do not want to buy maple sugar, then use organic cane sugar. 

Non-Dairy Yogurt

Yogurt is the secret weapon of these muffins. Corn meal can make for very dry muffins or breads. It is just how it rolls. But when you add yogurt to the mix you are getting additional moisture, protein and acidity. The acidity makes a more tender crumb, the additional moisture (paired with the olive oil) ensures that you do not get a dry muffin and the protein helps to give the muffins the structure that they need. 

I used Kite Hill Almond Milk Greek-style yogurt (not sponsored), but you could use whatever non-dairy yogurt you would like. Or use dairy yogurt. Just make sure that you use greek yogurt. 

Gluten-free Cornmeal

There is one cornmeal that I great up with. It came in a cardboard container and my mom would add it to the Shake and Bake dredge mix. Now, when I buy cornmeal I look for two things: organic and gluten-free. I prefer organic because corn can be grown in some weird ways in the US and I don’t want any weirdness. While corn is naturally gluten-free, not all store-bought corn meals are gluten-free. Make sure that the corn meal you buy is certified gluten-free. 

Flour Mix

It has taken me awhile to find the right mix of gluten-free flours. I lost count a long time ago of how many different iterations of flour mixes I have made. This one works for cookies, bars and muffins. Oat and teff flours give the wheat-like flavor and just the right amount of body. Adding potato starch to these flours give the binding and structure that gluten-free flours need. 

I mix 160g (1 cup) oat flour, 80g (1/2 cup) teff flour and 90g (1/2 cup) potato starch together with a whisk to make sure that and transfer to a mason jar with a lid. Just a note about the oat flour. I do not make my own. The texture and baking properties of homemade oat flour is very different from store-bought. I prefer store-bought because it is a finer grind and more reliable. 

I always buy my flours from Bob’s Red Mill (no, I am not sponsored to say that). If you are not gluten-free, then go ahead and replace this flour mix with whole wheat pastry or spelt flour. 

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RECIPE

Makes about 12 standard-size muffins

1/2 cup (102g) extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup (90g) local wildflower honey 

1/2 cup (89g) maple sugar 

2 large eggs 

182g (6oz or 1 individual size) almond milk yogurt (or whatever one you like) 

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup (107g) Gluten-free flour mix (see not above)

1/2 cup (60g) gluten-free oat flour 

1/2 cup (90g) gluten-free corn meal

1/2 cup (60g) superfine almond flour

2 tsp (10g) baking powder 

1 tsp salt

Optional filling: raspberry jam, fresh fruit, vegan caramel 

Preheat your oven to 350F and liberally grease a standard muffin tin. I do not use paper liners, but you certainly can. If you do use paper liners, you do not need to grease. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour mix, oat flour, cornmeal, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Make sure to get out any lumps,. Oat and almond flours like to clump. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine olive oil, honey, maple sugar, eggs, oat milk yogurt, and vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk, vigorously, to combine everything together and get the mixture silky smooth. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk together. I like to use a whisk to get out the lumps, but you can also use a spatula, wooden spoon, whatever floats your boat. 

Use a cookie scoop to dole out the batter into each well, filling about 3/4 the way up. If you are adding jam, caramel, or fruit, place about 1 tsp into the middle of each well of batter. 

Bake for 20-22 minuets; the edges will turn golden brown and the tops will just start to turn. 

Let cool for 15-20 minutes before turning out of the pan. These are best while warm, lathered in more honey and jam. Maybe some tahini? Whatever you like. 

These are best the day of, but if you keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, slice one in half, toast it in an oiled pan and enjoy!