Apple Pecan Muffins {Gluten Free}

I’m over winter. Over it. Done.

While I don’t want to rush through spring and summer, right now, in a perfect world, I’m dreaming of fall. The weather in Boston is perfect, wedding planning will be over, pumpkin spice lattes will abound; It’s simply my favorite time of year. This week I felt like making something that, even for a bite, would take me to late September.

The muffins you’re about to experience are a miracle in gluten free cooking. Super moist (as much as I hate that word, it’s the only one to do their texture justice), hearty, fruity, and – amazingly – low fat. I adapted these from a fellow Boston Blogger over at Live, Laugh, Cooking. She makes awesome food and you should check out some of her recipes. While these weren’t gluten free, and originally used 1/3 cup of butter (which was probably unbelievably good), they took some modifications to be more in line with my current eating habits.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 Cup Pecans, chopped
1 Cup Apples, finely chopped
1 /3 Cup Apple Sauce or Puree
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
¼ Cup The Natural Ginger Gluten Free Flour Blend
¼ tsp Xanthan Gum

I subbed out the butter for 1/3 cup of apple puree (you can use apple sauce if it’s easier) which cut down on the fat content, and still gave a great texture to the final product. I used different apples for the chopped and pureed elements, just because I had the option and I liked the diversity of flavor of one sweet/creamy apple and one tart/crisp apple. Coconut flour is one of my favorites to use in baked goods because, again, it contributes to a very moist crumb, and adds some fiber and a subtle tropical flavor to the batter. Make sure to get your apples almost as small as the chopped pecans for a consistency in the texture.

This flavor combination makes me happy. I made mini muffins so I could have something was just two bites to satisfy my sweet tooth and baked good cravings without going crazy, but this would make a great loaf or regular size muffin as well.

Once cooled I stored these in a ziplock, and they still had the same moisture and chewy, light texture the next day. I don’t know how their shelf life measures up – they’re already gone. I may have had a few for breakfast…

… or 5. Don’t judge me, they’re small!