Sunflower Muffins

If you've followed my blog for very long, you'll know that in January, my daytime life changed with the discovery of Banana Nut Muffins. Oh my. These are the nectar of the monkey gods, and a throne plate from which I will gladly bow to eat from for the rest of my life.

Then I did. Not for the rest of my life, but for the last 5 months these muffins have been a staple of my new gluten-free morning lifestyle.

But as life usually does, a monkey wrench was thrown into the mix. (Pun wasn't intended, but I left it there, so I guess now it's intended by default. And being too lazy to change it. Cause that's how I roll.)
I ran out of shelled walnuts. Yes, I could have shelled more, but operating a nut cracker under the influence of only 1 cup of coffee while wearing a bathrobe could be construed as a dangerous task. At least, that's what the warning label should say.

Then something wonderful happened.

My daughter went to a women's tea at our church where one of the door prizes was a cookbook called, "Gluten, Wheat, and Dairy Free." She didn't win it, but the lovely lady who did allowed my sweet girl to bring it home for me to peruse. And I did. Then I photo-copied half the book. I'm sure there is some copyright laws I may or may not have broken, but I was desperate for something new. Something different. Something that didn't involve dangerous kitchen equipment.

I must warn you though, these muffins are like sunshine in a cup. Or muffin tin. Or cupcake liner. They cause spontaneous smiling, and unintentional moaning. You should also know that Sunflower Muffins freeze well, so double the batch and save some for later.

By the way, I felt a little guilty about the whole copyright infringement thing, so I bought my own copy of the book. Just in case they were serious about their reserved rights...☺

~Sunflower Muffins~

(Adapted from "Gluten, Wheat, and Dairy Free")

~The Players~

*2-1/2 c. gluten-free flour blend (see my recipe below)

4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. xanthan gum

1 t. ground allspice

2/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds

3 medium organic carrots, grated

zest and juice of 1 organic orange

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 c. unsweetened almond milk (can use regular milk if desired)

1/3 c. plus 2 Tb. sunflower oil

1 t. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F. Place 12 baking cups into the muffin pan. (I LOVE silicone muffins cups!)

Sift the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and allspice into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.

Add the carrots, 3 Tb. of the sunflower seeds, and the orange zest.

Lightly beat together the orange juice, eggs, almond milk, oil, and vanilla with a whisk.

Stir the wet mix into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a batter~it will be a little lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the baking cups and sprinkle with remaining sunflower seeds.

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are set. Serve warm.

*My gluten-free all-purpose flour blend is:

1 cup white or brown rice flour

2/3 cup sorghum flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

Mix together and store in a sealed jar.

Enjoy!