A Royal Delight

"Royal Delight Muffins", with tinfoil crown. Aliment, Copyright 2012

      I like to use theme days as a way to keep menu planning easier, at our house Monday is "Muffin Monday." I wake up on Monday morning, usually groggy from a busy weekend and feeling rather resistant to starting the week, and I already know what's for breakfast. I'd like to say that I make it really easy on myself by making muffins or at least the batter the night before...but I've only done that once.

Hearty Royal Muffin batter and coconut milk. Aliment copyright 2012

     Does baking muffins first thing in the morning sound all too Susie Home-maker to you? Does it sound like a lot of work? That's how I used to think of baking, I enjoyed doing it but I felt as though it required a great deal of work and planning, I would only do it if I had set aside special time for such a "project." Two of my children have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, however, which means that many a week night or weekend you will find me whipping up a batch of Gluten Free cupcakes for them to bring along to a birthday party where they won't be able to have the cake, or some other school event or what-have-you. In all of those hurried baking adventures I came to find that most of the stress and "work" involved in baking could be remedied by...well...an attitude adjustment. This may be an oversimplification, after all I am not a professional chef and I recognize that there is a certain art and technique to the perfect pastry...but because I am not a professional, I've also realized that like most things in life if I adjust my attitude and stop trying to be such a perfectionist my baked goods will come out just fine and the process of making them can be quite easy if not a little fun as well. But I digress.

     Monday mornings usually find me stumbling into the kitchen, a bit confused at first "Is it a week day already? Again? (grumble, grumble)" then BING!  Oh yeah, it's Muffin Monday! I mosey over to my shelf of cookbooks and grab any one of them, flip to the now familiar baked goods section and find "muffins." Usually I just pick anything, we've enjoyed many varieties using whatever mix-ins we have on hand. It was actually a Saturday when I was feeling particularly and oddly bright eyed and bushy tailed, and rather than making our once a week sweet breakfast of pancakes on Saturday morning, I decided to pretend for half a second that I was experienced enough at baking now that I could create my own recipe...and I did!

Aliment, copyright 2012

     I present to you "The Kings Muffins." I made up the name off the cuff when my children looked at them with wide eyes and exclaimed in awed voices "What kind of muffins are theeeeese???" The muffins are hearty, dense (like many gluten free baked goods are), healthy and a new favorite in my house. The recipe made so many muffins that we enjoyed them for breakfast again on Monday morning, I sent them in for school snack one day and we enjoyed them for after-school snack on another day (I served other things on days in between so we never got sick of them) this morning, the kids had the last three with their breakfast. They kept very well for a little over a week in an airtight container.

Aliment, Copyright 2012

Aliment, Copyright 2012

We have debated over the name each time we've eaten them...
"Why are they the Kings muffins? Why can't they be the Queen's?"
"Maybe they are the Queen's Delight?"
I think we've finally decided that they are delicious and a Royal Delight.

One last note, the first day that I made them I melted chocolate chips and spread it on top like frosting, what kid wouldn't love that?

Aliment, Copyright 2012

In any case, there is no chocolate in the muffins themselves--I am allergic--but the molasses and buckwheat flour combination make for a rich brown color so no matter how many times I have told the kids that there's no chocolate in the muffins, and even though I haven't served them with chocolate on top since the first time, my children still choose to believe that they are chocolate muffins! Hey, whatever makes you want to chew and swallow, kids!

Aliment, Copyright 2012

Pictured here are the muffins as I usually serve them with a dusting of powdered sugar, along side some fresh fruit and sausages for a little extra protein punch--although they the muffins are hearty and healthy on their own! You'll also notice that at our house the kids breakfast beverage choices are either water, milk, or herbal tea. As for me, I've found that these Royal Delights make a mighty power snack on-the-go. I'd love to hear what you think after you try the recipe.

Tamar's Royal Delight Muffins (GF, DF, EF, VG)

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

6026871

Ingredients (18 muffins)

• 2 1/2 C Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 C Bob's Redmill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 Scoops Green Superfood Powder (optional)
• 1/2 C. Black strap molasses
• 2 Flax Eggs
• 1/4 C. Coconut oil (melted)
• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1/2 C. Carrots, grated
• 1/2 C. Carrot puree (baby food works!)
• 1/2 C. Golden Raisins
• 1 3/4 Coconut milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients, except milk. Add wet ingredients to dry, this will make a heavy dough. Slowly add milk, mixing continuously until a thick batter forms. Pour into muffin pan. Bake 25 min.

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Bon Appetit!

Tamar