Honey Carrot and Date Muffins

The Blender Girl's Note:

I can’t count the number of times I have made these delicious gluten-free muffins. They are quick, easy, and absolutely scrumptious. I used to “make a date” with my carrot grater on many a lazy Saturday afternoon, and make a quadruple batch to take for snacks at work; and there were many grateful snouts. These muffins freeze really well. But I prefer the “straight out of the oven and gobble” approach. The piggy in me always feels like this is the way to get the most “bang for your buck” with gluten free baking. Straight out of the oven, these muffins are moist, springy and just perfect. They have such a rich flavour that they don’t need any spread. In fact, I have had some people tell me they are a little too rich after consuming 3 or 4! Make a date with these muffins and you won’t be disappointed.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 8 muffins

• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine celtic salt
• 1 cup grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
• 1 cup pitted chopped dates
• 1/4 cup organic grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup organic soy milk, hemp milk or 1/2 cup rice milk
• 2 organic eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350°F.
2. Sift flours, baking powder and salt and mix evenly.
3. Melt the honey in a small saucepan on low heat.
4. Put in an electric mixer, or use a hand blender with a mixing bowl; add the eggs, milk, and oil and gently mix together. Blend in the honey.
5. Keep the mixer running, and gradually add in the dry ingredients – mix thoroughly.
6. Fold in the carrots and dates, and put into well greased muffin tins, and bake for about 20 minutes. This mix makes about 8 large muffins.

Reviews

[UmmBinat]

These are good but very rich like you said and a little dry. We had them straight from the oven and I liked the texture and taste the brown rice flour gives. I felt this recipe lacked a starch when I read it but this works OK without one. It is still not as soft as our favorite muffins, Any Kind Muffins (Gluten Free). I'm not sure how they last. DD (toddler) and I both could not eat more than one at a time. We both preferred them with some butter even though. I used finely ground white rice flour, just clarifying that as I have seen people rate recipes lower based on courser rice flours. I replaced the xanthan gum with guar gum in the same amount to be corn free, I added extra baking soda and added 1 tbs organic apple cider vinegar to the wet ingredients to make up for our troubles with baking powders (I always do this), I used sea salt, soft Parnoosh dates, canola oil in place of grapeseed oil as we do not support the wine industry, pasteurized honey as that is what I had on hand and it is being heated anyway, yogurt in place of the milks, plus the rest of the ingredients. I don't plan on making these again.