Paleo Muffins: Retrial

I recently made Paleo Strawberry Muffins. (Original blog post here.) It didn't go as planned. We all have those moments where we have this big idea and expectations and then one false move and...disappointment. That was me two weeks ago.

Baking vegan is not an easy task. When you have food allergies you have to make some sacrifices. Dairy and eggs are the hardest to bake without. I have yet to have a new allergen-free recipe turn out wonderful on the first try. (Unless you count bread in my bread maker that comes out perfect every single time.) I tried to substitute for the three eggs the recipe called for. Being as I like the flavor of chia over flax, I tried chia "eggs." I had whole chia seeds and no way to grind them down successfully. This led to "eggs" that were too gelatinous for the recipe in question and kept the muffins from baking the way they should have. So, I decided to do a retrial of the recipe to see if the ground chia made a difference. After that trial, I purchased a grinder on Amazon and patiently waited for the mail delivery.

My grinder arrived! I was finally able to try out the Paleo Muffin recipe with ground chia. Let me tell you...the grinder I purchased is heavenly. It took less than 5 seconds to grind 3 Tablespoons of chia seeds. This is the one I purchased. I highly recommend it for spices or coffee. It's powerful, sleek, and easy to clean. (Under $15 didn't hurt.)

The retrial was NOT a complete success, but I definitely saw improvement. The ground chia made a huge difference, but I still ended up baking them for about 45 min and some of the muffins still had a gooey center. I decided to try blueberries this time thinking that they would help with the wetness in the center. They did, slightly. The batter was much fluffier and not quite as thick as my first attempt. Despite the batter not being too wet, they still had problems baking. After they cooled, they set up a lot better and were definitely more edible than the first batch.

My deduction is that a flax or chia egg substitute only works if you have 1 or 2 eggs to replace. I am curious to see what happens if I try it with 2 chia eggs instead of 3 and add maybe a Tablespoon of coconut flour. Coconut flour is known to absorb liquid, even with a small amount of flour. This may help soak up the extra moisture. It's worth a try, right? I also think that using all coconut oil instead of part ghee may have been an issue I need to resolve as well. However, I still need it to be milk and dairy free. Ghee is not something I have tested with my allergies, so I would rather not use it. Finding a substitute for the ghee in the original recipe, though, might make a huge difference.

I am not usually a person that tries to create my own recipe off of another. However, I am determined to get these to work! There is a first time for everything and this first time may just take a handful of trial runs before it comes out perfect. Hopefully, all of you will enjoy the learning I am doing and maybe learn a little something new yourself. Trial #3 in the works.

***These will only last 3-4 days in a sealed container. Today, day 5, I found mold on the bottom of the last muffin. So either eat or freeze them.

Paleo Strawberry Muffins: Success or Fail?

Baking gluten free, dairy free, and egg free is always a challenge. I have an AA in Pastry Arts and I still struggle to cook and bake this way. I recently started following this wonderful blogger Paleo Gluten Free Eats on Instagram and she has inspired me to start baking and cooking more. Her posts are beautifully photographed and she is always making something interesting and new. Watching her videos and reading her blog made me start searching even further for more recipes that fit in my dietary category. For the most part, her recipes do that, but I also need egg free. It's extremely difficult to find something Paleo AND egg free.

I recently headed the Paleo route only because that diet does eliminate dairy and gluten already. The added bonus is no refined sugar, which I have also been working on cutting down. The only problem with Paleo and my dietary restrictions is that it does include eggs, and usually a lot of them. (In regular cooking, it also usually includes a lot of meat which my body isn't used to. I have also recently eliminated chicken as an experiment). So, with that in mind, I went to Pinterest. I have (as many do) a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. It's mostly that I hate that I love it. As many of us know, though, it's a great resource for recipes, especially for special diets. I found a few recipes I wanted to try but was craving something I could take as a snack for work that also felt summery. I came across a recipe for Paleo Strawberry Muffins. No gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar...but 3 eggs. Going back to my baking training, I remembered that I could substitute a flax or chia "egg" instead of using a powdered egg replacer (which never works as well and smells like chemicals). So, I went on a run to the store to find chia.

The store only had whole chia seeds which I determined would be fine and I could just grind them in the tiny food processor we have. NOPE. This was the one big fail. 20 min of grinding in the food processor and they barely broke down. I tried mashing them in the mortar and pestle we have (that a quick search on Google said would also be an option) and NOPE. Nothing. So, I went forward with the recipe anyway. This was the major flaw in my plan. When the chia isn't broken down into powder it becomes EXTRA gelatinous and way too thick to be an egg replacement. I ended up baking it longer than necessary and it was still a bit gummy. The taste was great but I had to toss the remaining muffins after a few days because they got soggier. I have already ordered a spice grinder so I can try this recipe again!

Try it yourself and let me know how it goes. I have included the regular egg and the chia/flax egg information. The strawberries can be swapped out for raspberries, blueberries or I would think even apples (with a dash of cinnamon...yum). Find the original recipe here.

Servings: 9 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour        
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs (flax or chia substitute: 1 Tbsp. ground flax or chia to 3 Tbsp. water per egg)  
• 1/4 cup honey (preferably organic and raw; sub maple syrup for vegan)
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted (can also substitute ghee for all or half of oil)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries     

  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease or line muffin tin (or use silicone baking cups).
2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl with a large whisk. Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently fold in strawberries.
3. Use a large ice cream or cookie scoop to fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I will be trying this recipe again as soon as my grinder arrives. I will post an update to my trial. So, the verdict is that it was a successful fail. Not a complete fail, but not a complete success. A second trial awaits!