Almond Muffins

On Monday mornings I want to hit the ground running. Having fuel for the day (and for that matter the rest of the week) requires a little time and planning in the kitchen. While I make the kids their school lunch in the morning, I make mine too and stash it away in the fridge. That way I’ll have something tasty and nutritious all ready to eat when my stomach starts to rumble around noon.

These almond muffins are my answer that afternoon hunger call – you know the one that dials in around 3 pm looking for energy and sustenance to get you through the rest of the day? Dense, moist and flavorful, they satisfy my desire for a little something sweet and are chockfull of super foodie ingredients like almonds, chia seeds and blueberries that I know will hold me until dinner.

When I checked my freezer this morning to find no almond muffins in sight, I panicked for a moment.

No muffins? No problem.

I grabbed the almond flour, spices, chia seeds, vanilla, honey, eggs and frozen blueberries and in just 10 minutes I popped a new batch into the oven. No kidding. That’s the beauty of what I call pantry recipes - recipes that rely primarily on ingredients that you store regularly in your kitchen.

Now I’m all set for the day.

Ingredients

Canola or coconut oil

3 cups almond flour or almond meal*

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp each ground cloves and allspice (if you don’t have, skip)

2 TB chia seeds (if you don’t have, skip)

3 eggs

1/3 cup honey

1 TB vanilla

zest of 1 lemon

1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

*I like Bob’s Red Mill Natural Almond Flour or Trader Joe’s Just Almond Meal because they are ground with the almond skins intact.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Coat a non-stick muffin pan very well with canola or coconut oil.

In a small bowl mix together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, spices and chia seeds. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, vanilla, honey and lemon zest and then gently fold in the blueberries. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined

Fill each baking cup evenly with the batter and bake for 18-22 minutes until muffins are brown and cooked through.  They should feel slightly firm to the touch.

 Gently run the blade of a butter knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen and let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes before transferring to a serving plate or a storage container. These muffins freeze well.

Makes 12 muffins.