That's a mouthful, isn't it? At least it's an extremely tasty mouthful! These muffins were so fun to create and even more fun to eat. I love a classic nut butter and jam combination, and to incorporate them into muffins just seemed like a natural thing to do.
The raspberry jam is incredibly simple and quick to make. A good friend showed me the way, and I'm forever grateful! It's a much healthier alternative to the sugar-ridden preserves or jams that are on the grocery store shelves. All you need for the jam is:
*frozen raspberries, thawed
*1/2 cup organic maple syrup
*1/2 cup organic chia seeds
Simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and let sit for about 30 minutes so the chia has a chance to thicken the mixture. Voila!
This recipe is vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free. It makes approximately 14 muffins.
But I assure you, not taste free. For the gluten free flour, I like to use Bob's Red Mill brand. They have a GF baking flour called 1:1 and I've found it to bake into a great texture! I like to use this along with almond flour to give the treats an extra nutty flavor and fluffiness.
For the vegan butter, I prefer Earth Balance brand and their soy free butter.
For the chocolate chunks, Enjoy Life Foods is completely vegan and void of the top 8 allergens. If you wanted to make this recipe completely nut free, I recommend substituting the almond flour for oat flour, and substituting the almond butter with sunflower seed butter.
Find the full recipe below!
What you'll need:
-1 cup almond flour
-3 cups GF baking flour
-1 cup coconut sugar
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-3 very ripe bananas
-1/2 cup almond butter
-2 cups homemade raspberry jam (2 cups frozen raspberries thawed + 1/2 cup maple syrup + 1/2 cup chia seeds)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-1/2 cup melted vegan butter
-3/4 cup almond or other plant milk of choice
-vegan chocolate chunks
1. To prepare the raspberry jam, simply thaw frozen raspberries in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup chia seeds and set aside until it thickens.
2. Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a separate small bowl, mash the 3 bananas and stir through almond butter.
5. Add banana mash and the rest of the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until a slightly thick batter forms.
6. Add the raspberry jam to the batter and swirl through.
7. Line your muffin tin with paper or silicone muffin cups. I use compostable paper ones, but I’m going to order silicone ones on Amazon!
8. Using a small ice cream scooper or spoon, fill the muffin cups with batter to the top. Squish in some chocolate chunks onto the top of your muffins if using them.
9. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
10. Remove and let cool. Then enjoy! You could cut in half and spread more almond butter and jam on, or some vegan butter