Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

almond flour muffins

Almond Flour Muffins

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 I have been a huge fan of Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio for quite some time.  His work really came to life for me when I saw him speak at Blogher Food last year.  He conveys his love of good food in a passionate manner, which I find compelling.So, when my friend Silvana invited me to participate in this month’s Ratio Rally, I said yes, even though I have not really baked using ratios and scales.  I am definitely a numbers person though, so the concept is not a daunting one.  If you don’t like numbers and scales, do not read any further.  This post is not for you!  If you’re into making recipe templates that can serve as the basis for numerous other recipes, then proceed.  And get out that scale!

According to Ruhlman, “a quick bread is composed of cake batter ingredients that are stirred together.”  He goes on to say that “muffins are quick breads baked into cups.”  Hence, my decision to make muffins. Ruhlman’s ratio for making a quick bread using wheat flour is 2 parts flour: 2 parts liquid: 1 part egg: 1 part fat.

The ratio I came up with for muffins uses almond flour, and is 4 parts flour: 4 parts egg: 1 part sweetener.  After much experimentation, I can say that  I doubt these proportions will work with other flours as almond flour is a very unique ingredient.

So why create this recipe at all?  Well, it is still versatile in two ways.  First, it is a wonderful template for a muffin recipe.  You can experiment by adding different flavor combinations including: date walnut, lemon poppyseed, dried cranberries with white chocolate chips, cinnamon raisin, and orange dark chocolate chip.  Second, you can scale up the recipe and make as many muffins as you like.  Double it for 8 muffins.  Cut it in half for 2.  It’s that flexible.

The ratio for making a basic, lightly sweetened almond flour muffin is (4:4:1), and here is the complete recipe:

Print Recipe
Almond Flour Muffins
Serves:4muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour and baking soda
  2. In a large bowl combine eggs, honey, and vinegar
  3. Stir dry ingredients into wet, mixing until combined
  4. Scoop about ¼ cup of batter at a time into a paper lined muffin pan
  5. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges
  6. Cool in the pan for ½ hour
  7. Serve with butter and jam

To make a loaf of quick bread, simply double the above batter and bake it for 35-40 minutes on the lower rack of your oven in an 6-½ x 4-inch baby loaf pan (Luminarc).

My findings? Because almond flour is more wet than wheat flour, I ended up eliminating the 2 parts of liquid that Ruhlman used in his ratios.  And because almond flour is more fatty than wheat flour I have eliminated the fat that was part of his formula.  Finally, I used equal parts almond flour and egg in my recipe because almond flour is heavy and requires extra leavening, and eggs are a wonderfully simple form of leavening that is high in protein.

I did not have a hypothesis when I began this experiment.  I based my ratio on Ruhlman’s and started out with liquids, fat and all sorts of unnecessary other ingredients (that I found are not relevant when baking with almond flour).  In order to come up with the recipe above, I baked the muffins 4 times before the result was remotely edible, and 5 more times to perfect them.  As you can see, when it comes to baking, hands on is the only way to go; guessing does not work.

Comments

  1. so, I adapted this recipe a little and added parmesan cheese, green onions and sunflower seeds for a real savory muffin. I als experimented by adding 1/4 cup coconut flour and 3/4 almond instead of using all almond. I compensated by using an extra egg since I added the coconut flour and knew it would require extra moisture, but found them to be just a touch too dry. DO you think that is due to the addition of coocnut flour and I should have also added some melted butter or almond milk to offset that? Or just stick to your recipe of all almond flour? :) thanks so much!!

    Reply

    • Jessica, thanks for your comment! For best results follow the recipe and use the ingredients and brands that I link to :-)

      Reply

  2. My baking endeavors do not always turn out the way I intend. So, it was wonderful to find such a simple recipe. They turned out perfectly! The second time I made these I added 1 tablespoon of Organic Cacao Nibs and 2 tablespoons of diced Organic Dried Sour Cherries. Not sure if that kicks them out of Paleo standards but they baked beautifully without adding any extra time. Biting into a cherry was just as good as using jam or preserves.

    Reply

  3. SO glad to have come across this recipe, thank you! I’ve just switched to a low-carb life after 3 years battling Hashimotos and Cushings and I’m loving the food I’m eating, but tonight I was desperate for a low carb sweet treat and these muffins are just perfect! I had one with low carb, sugar free home made blueberry Jam and I’m now going to bed VERY happy! Thank you SO much :) xx

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  4. Hello – I just started in the keto diet and made these muffins. They are pretty good. Thank you for the recipe. Can you tell me the nutritional facts please. I still need to count caleries and don’t want to over indulge.
    Thank you
    Sandra

    Reply

    • Matilda, thanks for your comment! Almond flour itself is very moist, and this recipe also contains eggs, honey, and apple cider vinegar for the wet ingredients. This recipe will not be wet enough if you use small eggs instead of large :-)

      Reply

      • I read a lot of these comments and I have to say, you hadle all of them very politely and professionally. I give you a ton of credit. Seems like many of the commetns are not to nice (like it’s your fault it didnt turn out perfectly!!!). I love this site – just found it BTW. Trying to lose weight and these recipies are great. Thanks again! And I promise, if a recipe doesnt turn out perfectly, I will not blame you!

        Reply

  6. Making these for a gluten-free option at our concession stand and to use up the last of my almond flour. I had about enough for a batch and a half, but after adding fruit (apple, blueberry, and orange cranberry) found it made enough mix for 9 muffins. Just put them in the oven and excited to see how they turn out. Hoping it’s better than the last almond flour I found…bread that turned into super expensive bird food :(

    Reply

  7. I just made these muffins. First use of almond flour. First time baking gluten-free. I used lemon juice instead of vinegar and added a big handful of fresh blueberries. I also measured the flour and eggs on my scale (4 oz flour was a heaping cup). Otherwise followed exactly. Baked in 15 mins. Looked so gorgeous I took a photo of them! (Also they made 5 instead of 4; maybe due to the added berries?) And I did not wait to cut into a warm one which was perfect and popped out of the paper liner and into my happy mouth! I’m doing them for a glue free neighbor but she’s gonna have to share because these are AMAZING! And so quick and easy!

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  8. These are delicious! I add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the 4 muffin recipe, and they are perfect! I find that I have to bake them for about 20-22 minutes to get them golden brown. Thank you for this lovely, simple recipe!

    Reply

  9. Hello, Curious if you can offer advice for doing a sugar-free version of you you’re my muffins/scones? I have a son who has epilepsy…adhering to a Keto diet. Any idea if Stevia could be used instead of honey and what might be the ratio?

    Best, Susan

    Reply

  10. I have gestational diabetes that so far is not controlled by diet and I wanted muffins SO BAD. I bought almond flour but didn’t know what to do with it. I used this base recipe, doubled, used Splenda instead of honey, and ended up using 5 eggs because my chickens lay some tiny ones. I added frozen raspberries at the end because I know I cup of them is 15 g of carbs so even if I ate all 10 muffins I’d be fine! I also added a little shake of powdered peanut butter to give a little protein boost with relatively few added carbs. They came out a little wet in the center (I think from the raspberries) but not exactly doughy? I will have to try them in the morning to see if it goes away as they cool. I was thinking if they’re still like that I will microwave them before eating and hopefully it will steam out. I’m going to spread some natural peanut butter on them in the morning and eat a couple for breakfast, yum!

    Reply

  11. bettinamorton@me.com
    Elana,
    Thank you for your hard work creating this delicious base recipe! I just made my first batch and l ate one as soon as it was cool enough to not burn my tongue. I needed to use maple syrup instead of the honey and they still came out wonderful. This will now be my go-to muffin recipe! Thanks again.

    Reply

    • Bettina, thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed these muffins and that this will now be your go-to muffin recipe!

      Reply

  12. If I as going to add pumpkin purée to this recipe, what else would I need to change? I saw your other pumpkin spice muffins but I can’t sure coconut flour. What would be your suggestions?

    Reply

  13. Thanks so much Elana!
    These muffins are so quick and easy. I added grated lemon zest to the mix, and topped the muffins with lemon butter icing. They are delicious. Do you have a suggestion so the muffins don’t stick to the paper liners? Well, I’m sure I can figure this out.
    I’ve been gluten free of 14 months now, and it’s made a big and positive difference in my life. I’ve had hashimoto’s for over 30 years. You’re recipes are amazing and inspiring. Thanks again :)

    Reply

  14. I liked that the recipe was simple and easy to follow. However, I didn’t much care for the taste…they tasted very bland. I would suggest adding blueberries, or another kind of fruit to add more flavor.

    Reply

  15. Thanks for this great recipe! I just doubled it and they came out great! I got 10 muffins. Since I am supposed to be counting my carbs, does anyone know about how many carbs would be in one of these muffins? Or how to figure that out?
    Thanks!

    Reply

  17. I tried this recipe & added frozen blueberries. they came out really good! WOuld it work if I double the recipe or do I have to adjust something? thanks!

    Reply

  19. Thank u for the recipes. I myself am not a sufferer of celiac but have 2 nieces & 1 nephew who are. I made this into a bread for Passover and it was received with wild enthusiasm. I’ve made a few other items on this site & all were a hit Be well Elana & thanks again! .

    Reply

    • Debbie, you’re welcome! I’m so happy to hear that this bread was received with wild enthusiasm :-)

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    • Hi Barbara, I have to confess I haven’t tried that. I don’t freeze my almond flour recipes because I usually have tons of boys here everyday gobbling up the food faster than I can make it! If you do experiment please let us know how it goes :-)

      Reply

    • Hi! I have frozen many Paleo baked goods, including some of Elana’s almond flour bakery items. They thaw out perfectly in a warm toaster oven or just sitting out. :)

      Reply

  22. PERFECT BASE RECIPE!
    I TRIED THIS RECIPE YESTERDAY AND I’M EXTREMELY HAPPY! I EXPANDED WITH ONE BATCH OF CANDIED GINGER AND LEMON ZEST AND ANOTHER BATCH WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND CARDAMOM. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT IT’S NOT TOO SWEET. SO, YOU CAN ADD OTHER SWEETER INGREDIENTS WHEN YOU WANT WITHOUT IT BEING OVERPOWERING AND TURNING INTO CUPCAKE. : )
    MAHALO ELANA!

    Reply

  23. Snow day, here! Home with the fam :) tripled the recipe, added 1/2 maple syrup and half honey.
    Threw in some organic oats and blueberries! Great recipe!! Thank you

    Reply

  24. Thank you so very much Elana for your time and dedication to share with us all your deliciously healthy recipes. I’ve been trying some from your Keto recipes recently and I love them! The meatballs were amazing, the Beef Brisket super easy and recently the almond muffins. My muffins sank in the middle while cooling in the pan. I use Raw Almond Flour. Could this be why?

    Thanks in advance,
    Gina

    Reply

  25. Love this recipe I love the variations I can do with this recipe. I am gluten-free and dairy free and yeast free I have celiac disease and love this recipe thank you so much for posting this. I am going grain free for my health and it is fantastic my joints everything feel so much better and my skin is amazing curious how do you feel about molasses in a recipe like this one that you posted ?I use Stevia in the raw for my sweetener because I’m also working to go sugar-free. I would love to know when you get a chance what you think about molasses in this recipe thank you.

    Reply

  27. I just found this recipe but had a question. The recipe calls for 4 oz of flour but the shows “about 1 cup”. Is that correct since a cup is 8 oz? I really want to try it but want to make sure I don’t use too mich flour.

    Reply

    • Hi Susan, the 8 ounces = 1 cup measurement is for water. Different ingredients have different densities and therefore weigh different amounts, so yes, this measurement (4 ounces = 1 cup almond flour) is correct :-)

      Reply

    • Also, note the difference between fluid ounce (a unit of volume, like for liquids) versus ounce (a unit of weight).

      Reply

  28. Hi Elana, just found your site the other day and made the Choc. Zuccinni loaf, was beautiful, but I was wondering why you say to use Almond Flour and not Almond Meal. There is only one store near me that has the flour and it is twice the price of the meal.

    Reply

  29. i used this recipe as a base for apple cinnamon muffins, and they were DELICIOUS. thanks so much for the recipes elana

    Reply

  30. These are absolutely delicious. We have made them twice and right off the bat, amazingly good. I worked backwards, so to speak. Both times I forgot that I didn’t have a full carton of eggs, so I just measured how many ounces of eggs I had and adjusted the flour to match. Both times it was close enough to the original recipe that I only tweaked the other measurements by making sure it was either just under or heaping. Worked great! Our additions: maple syrup instead of honey (2 tablespoons is one ounce) vanilla and chocolate chips. Otherwise followed the directions as written, used Wellbees almond flour, apple cider vinegar, baking soda. Cooked 17-18 minutes and let sit in the pan for 30 minutes after removing from the oven. Huge hit for my family and friends!

    Reply

  31. Elana, I needed something for all the fresh strawberries I had and this recipe was perfect. We had STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!! The muffin was perfect for it because of it’s heartier texture. Thank you.

    Reply

    • I have been experimenting. I’m not gluten intolerant but wanted a no carb breakfast muffin or similar alternative. I have now perfected the recipe for myself.
      I double the recipe add a half a cup of unsweetened applesauce instead of the honey and make it as a loaf and it comes out really moist. I will try the scones next starting with the base recipe. Thank you for all these recipes

      Reply

  33. Is it possible to make these without honey or any sweetener? To make it whole 30 approved? Maybe it would turn out more like a biscuit?

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  34. I doubled recipe and added about 1/4 cup applesauce, some cinnamon and vanilla. Also added generous amount of blueberries. Delish!

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  35. These came out amazing! Slightly dry but perfect when warm and topped w ghee!

    I doubled the recipe minus 1 tbsp of honey;
    1 tbsp cinnamon
    1 tsp vanilla
    2 oz shredded coconut
    1 oz pecans
    an extra egg
    Cook for approx 20 min

    For 12 muffins!

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Tried this recipe and it was dry. I think maybe adding 2 additional eggs (total 4) may help. Flavor was great with the coconuts. I used Bob’s Almond Flour and it didn’t sink, but also didn’t rise as much as I’d hope for. Will definitely try again until I get the perfect texture!

      Reply

      • Samantha, thanks for your comment! Just a note that when adding ingredients such as coconut you will need to adapt the recipe to maintain the moisture in it :-)

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  36. Hi Elana-

    Sorry if this is a silly question, but is there a difference between blanched almond and regular (non-blanched) almond flour? I went to the grocery store and bought almond flour and didn’t realize until I got home that it required for blanched almond flour. I’m wondering if this will suffice or if it will turn out different in texture, taste, etc. than expected.

    Thank you
    Elizabeth

    Reply

  37. Hi Elana,
    My brother and I made these cupcakes for our school lunch boxes and they were delishus? we even doubled the recipe and they turned out fine. Thanks so much for your recipe we all loved it. From Mia????

    Reply

  38. Today is a cold, snow day here in Colorado and I felt like a warm treat for breakfast. I made these almond flour muffins for the first time. Followed the recipe exactly but tripled it so I could get a dozen and I also added 1/2 cup Lily’s dark chocolate chips. YUM! Moist and delicious! They turned out perfect! And very easy to make!

    Thank you so much, Elana, for providing delicious options for those of us who care about what we put in our bodies! I’ve used many of your recipes and am always pleased! My personal favorites, in addition to these muffins, are the coconut flour tortillas and salt and pepper crackers!

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  39. I just made these and although they tasted much better than a coconut flour recipe I made they were D R Y! I mean like lodged in my throat dry and I even added blueberries to moisten the batter. We are not gluten free but I made Almond milk and I needed recipes to use the leftover meal for. I love the simplicity of the recipe, I just want it to be more moist.

    Reply

    • Hi Monika, I’m sorry to hear the muffins did not turn out correctly for you. Unfortunately this recipe won’t work with almond pulp, it requires almond flour which although seems a bit similar is a very different ingredient. The best results come from using the recommended ingredients as well as the brands that are shown when clicking on the green text in the ingredient portion of the recipe. Thanks for sharing your concern and hope you enjoy the muffins in the future!

      Reply

    • Hi Monika i also make almond milk and use the pulp for baking. what i do is spread the pulp onto a baking sheet at put it in my toaster oven on the bottom rack and turn on the grill on a very lowest setting to dry out the moisture from the pulp (be sure to stir it a couple times for even drying) then put it in the food processor once cool and process it for a minute or two until its like very fine then that’s it almond flour. to put a little moisture in my muffin i use some butter and it works really well very soft and moist sometimes i put chocolate chips on it for the kids and they love it.

      Reply

  40. Hi there! I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog. You have so many great recipes! Anyway, I’ve been looking for a simple muffin recipe, and this one seems to fit the bill, but unfortunately I’m not able to eat eggs. Do you know of a substitute I can use that would allow these muffins to come out right? I’m not much of a cook or baker, so I usually stick to ingredients. Unfortunately, I’m not able to eat flaxseed right now, either, so the “flax egg” method is out, too.

    Reply

  41. Hi Elana,

    I’ve been a long time follower of your blog and this is one of my favorite recipes!
    I’ve made these muffins for years and love the texture, taste, and high protein + low sugar combination.
    My mom used to make me blueberry muffins for breakfast and I missed them when I gave up wheat.
    I double the recipe and add about 3/4 cup of blueberries and it hits the spot every time.

    So many blogs have come and go since I started reading them years ago, but yours is always my go-to for recipes.
    I know you meticulously test your recipes and I’m guaranteed to get great results.

    Thank you so much for all that you do and share.

    Best,

    Kate C.
    West Hartford, CT

    Reply

  42. Great muffins! My family loves them. I substituted 1/4 cup puréed frozen blueberries for the honey. It makes them blue though (obviously, lol) and I added 1/8 tsp salt. I’ll definitely be making these again. (I’ve got thyroid issues so I wanted to make them as low in sugar as I could.) Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  43. Do you have any suggestions using convection oven? Browned beautiful on outside but inside still raw. New oven and need advice. Thanks! I know this is an older posting but curious if you or any readers have had this concern.

    Reply

    • Hi Linda,

      I haven’t tried this, but I would try lowering the oven temperature to 325 degrees. A light colored muffin pan may also slow down the browning on the outside and give the middle more time to cook.

      (I know you posted this a few months ago, but I hope this is helpful to you or others anyway.)

      Reply

  44. Hi Elana, I recently found out am sensitive to gluten, dairy, cane sugar and eggs too so thank you for this recipe! I used chia seeds (2 tblspoons to 6 tblspoons water) as an egg replacement (and it did not look like 4 ounces) with 4 ounces almon flour (1/2 cup) and found there was not enough liquid with the honey + apple cider vinegar. So, I improvised from looking at a few other recipes and added 1/8th cup of olive oil and 1/8 th cup of water … and about 3/4 cups frozen blueberries. They turned out ok altho I think I ended up cooking about 45 minutes and they 4 muffins were nicely browned. So a little nutty from the almond flour and chia seeds and super healthy. Will see what my hubby thinks in the morning. LOL My hubby thinks Ruhlman is the greatest and introduced me to Ratio, so will see if I can get away without the oil and may be add more water (or lemon juice?) next time. Thanks for the super easy and healthy recipe!!.

    Reply

    • Hi Elena, I love your recipe! I decided to make mini muffins and doubled your recipe and made 18 mini muffins. Here are my modifications if any of your other readers want reduced sugar, no eggs:

      1 cup blanched almond flour
      4 tablespoons chia seeds + 1/2 cup water (egg replacer, 1 to 3 ratio; need to have it sit for 10 minutes to gel)
      1 tablespoon honey
      1/2 teaspoon baking soda
      1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
      1/4 cup apple sauce + 1/4 cup water to mix with egg replacement + honey + apple cider vinegar
      1 cup blueberries (I tried 1 1/2 cups and they were popping out of the muffins!)

      Approx 1 hour of cooking and they turned out yummy and great to freeze a few and keep the others in the fridge if they will last! Thanks again Elena :)

      Reply

  45. Hi can you leave out the honey and sweeten it with apple puree or orange juice? I can’t have any honey, banana, dates, agave etc. thanks!

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  46. Hi Elana,

    I’m confused because this is so different from the recipe in your almond-flour cookbook, which has 2 cups of flour to 1 egg. This has 1 cup to 4 eggs! I found I had to combine the 2 recipes to get it right, and now I am trying to piece it together. Can you explain the difference between the 2 muffins? I work as a personal chef and love most of your recipes. They work great. This was confusing to me.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  49. I just found your blog today – I was thrilled, as I had won your books in a giveaway a couple of years ago :)
    This muffin recipe looks like a fantastic base upon which to play. I’m going to try and throw some blueberries into the mix! Thanks for the idea!

    Reply

  50. I blanched almonds and made almond flour for the first time for this recipe (which was also my first time making this recipe). They turned out pretty good, golden and soft to the touch “as you would expect with a conventional muffin but they were a bit coarse. Could my flour not have been ground smoothly enough?

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  51. I LOVE this recipe! I triple the recipe and make a loaf of bread with it. Add a little salt and hemp and caraway seed. Only use 1 tbsp of sweetener. The perfect sandwich bread and for French toast!

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  52. Love these Almond Flour Muffins.. EASY ! Made them last night with blueberries (fresh, local:-) ) Delish! Thank you Elana.

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  53. These are delicious! Perfect texture and just the right amount of sweetness. I added raisins and cinnamon and they were a bit hit.

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  54. These are awesome! I did 1/2 the amount of honey and added blueberries- it’s a hit with the whole fam! Thank you for sharing!

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  55. Could I use Grade B maple syrup in the muffins instead of honey? I just used the last of the raw honey this morning and would like to make these for my husband.

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  56. I just wanted to tell you that these muffins are delicious. They have the perfect texture, just like any muffin that it is not gluten nor dairy free. I’m so happy that I found this recipe! My oldest daughter is autistic and we are trying the best we can to stick to a gluten and dairy free diet, but breakfast and snacking are a challenge. These muffins are perfect for that, we have already made them with dark chocolate chunks, adding a bit more sugar to sweeten them up for dessert…they come out perfect every time. Thank you sooooo much!

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  57. These were very easy to make and very tasty!

    I added blueberries and inceased the oven temp to 375 (190 here in the UK) as per a suggestion above and they rose and coloured beautifully.

    My sons loved them, thank you for the recipie.

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  61. Good Morning,

    I am in South Africa and battle to get certain ingredients. This recipe calls for blanched Almond flour can I use plain Almond flour. Also can I put cheese in this recipe as I am trying to make scones and cannot find a good recipe.

    Regards

    Vanessa

    Reply

    • Blanched just means without the skin. I believe packaged almond flour it is blanched (w/out skins). I bought a huge bag of raw organic almonds online and had to blanch them before making the flour: Bring small pot of water to boiling, add almonds, then after no more than 60 seconds remove into a strainer. Skins come off easily. Let almonds cool and dry before grinding them into flour.

      Reply

  62. I love this basic recipe!
    Variations I have made and liked:

    1) Blueberry – add 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract or zest from lemon, and 1/2 cup frozen wild (organic) blueberries

    2) Apple spice – in the oven now:) – Double recipe for 9 muffins
    Add 1 TBSP cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp vanilla extract, pinch of salt, 1/2 diced apple. YUM!

    Thanks Elana!!

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  63. I am not a very skilled cook but I love this recipe for making bread & because it always comes out so good I hate to refrigerate it. Considering it has no preservatives how long can I leave this out & what is the best thing to wrap it in?
    Any suggestions would be very welcomed!
    Bethanie

    Reply

  64. I’m wanting to make “burger buns ” made with almond flour! I made the biscuits from your cook book “the Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook “. They were delicious, but a little too sweet for a bun. How much would I need to decrease the agave nectar or just omit it? Just want a gluten-free “burger bun “. I may have just answered my own question, but love to get your input. Thanks

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  65. Wow, I just made these. I doubled the recipe and made a few blueberry, a few raspberry and a few chocolate chip. They are lightly sweet and my 2 and 6 year old loved them as well. Thanks so much for your amazing recipes!

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  67. Elana, thank you for this wonderful muffin recipe! I made it with about a tsp of vanilla extract and about 6 oz of Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate premium baking chips. I think this is the best paleo recipe I have used so far! I have your new cookbook and have only tried the paleo bread and banana bread (which is cooling now!) Looking forward to trying many more and appreciate your efforts to create delicious, healthy recipes.

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  69. I’m back to say I was wrong. I used un-blanched almond flour to make these muffins the first time, and used blanched flour to make them again today.

    B I G

    I M P R O V E M E N T

    Form here on in, I’m following the directions ????.

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  70. Thanks you for this excellent recipe. I made mini muffins and made the last 3 with a few chocolate chips for our weekend treat. It felt so indulgent to eat these!

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  71. I love these, thank you.

    My version includes a nice healthy teaspoon of cinnamon and a bug tablespoon of unsweetened apple sauce. As well I use coconut sugar. But none the less the ratio works.

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    • What a good idea to add unsweetened apple sauce! That would have given mine more moisture and softness! Next time! Thanks!

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  72. D E L I C I O U S – weighed everything, added 1/2 teaspoon salt, and added 1/2 teaspoon each of both vanilla and almond extracts, along with frozen blueberries and sliced almonds. I also used natural (un-blanched) almond flour – no problem – baked beautifully. Incredibly good. Thanks for sharing the great recipe.

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  73. I just baked these… I doubled the recipe and made 6 big muffins instead. I just added 5 extra minutes to the baking time and they came out delicious! I loved them!

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  74. We love these and have made them 3 times. They always work and lend themselves to varying flavours…berries, apple and sultana or just plain vanilla. Yum…thanks!

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  75. I’m not sure if this has been said yet, but I just wanted to report that I made this recipe with almond meal (not blanched) just because it’s what I had on hand and still turned out PERFECTLY! I added some walnuts and cinnamon, maybe the best muffin recipe I’ve ever made! Thank you, Elana!

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  76. First time to this site. I tried the Almond Flour Muffins. The batter was so thick I couldn’t transfer it to the muffin tins so I added another egg to make it like a thick paste. Resulting muffins were dense and not sweet enough. I consider this effort a failure.

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  78. I love this recipe! So far I’ve made it twice. I substituted almond meal and added almost a cup of frozen organic blueberries…amazing. But tonight I made them even better – I added 3 very ripe bananas and a splash of cinnamon. They had to cook a little longer but they are so moist and delicious!!!

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  79. I didnt have any apple cider vinegar and so I left it out and my muffins all sank. Is this why? So bummed. ur recipe looks so good. will try again.
    I would appreciate your input!

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  80. I really like these muffins, so yummy. However when I try the recipe it makes only six not 12 muffins. I wonder if I did something wrong, I know I measured everything right.

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  81. These are amazing! I divided the batter into 6 muffins, and they rose beautifully! My 2 eggs weighed just under 4 oz, so I added a tiny bit of applesauce to make up the difference.
    I love having another option for breakfast on the weekend – thank you so much for sharing such a versatile base recipe! :-)

    Reply

  82. Hi Elana: Your recipes in your Almond Flour cookbook are so good! I also found some on your website that I liked better, though. The biscuits are wonderful! Instead of making only 4 at 1 1/2 inches thick, I rolled the dough to 3/4 inch thick and made about 8 biscuits which made about 5 days serving. My husband loves this with peach jam!
    I especially enjoyed the vegan peanut butter cookies, but instead of using smooth peanut butter, I used nutty peanut butter and it made the cookies crunchier!!! I discovered that the cookies need to cool on the parchment paper before removing them to the cooling sheet. I removed one while hot and it crumbled!
    Tonight I made muffins following the date pecan muffin recipe. I made some changes on that…I omitted ground nutmeg because my husband is allergic to spices; instead of using grapeseed oil, I used light olive oil because it has higher monounsaturated fat than the grape seed; I used canned apples packed in water and estimated about half of the can was equivalent to 2 apples; and since I didn’t have any pecans, I used walnuts. It was so good, but I think 1 tablespoon of vanilla is a bit too much. I would use half of that the next time I make this.
    Is there any way I can make blueberry muffins without bananas? Eating anything with bananas turns into sugar and makes my blood sugar go down.
    Thank you for the wonderful recipes made with almond flour!! I made some biscuits and blueberry muffins with gluten free flours (rice, potato, tapioca flours) and they were too gritty and I didn’t like those too much. Using almond flour is wonderful!
    I would appreciate hearing from you about the blueberry muffins!

    Reply

    • Barbara, I made this recipe and other than using almond meal instead of flour I just added blueberries. They came out great!

      Reply

  84. I just made this recipe, my 1s gluten free recipe ever! I did not have cider vinegar so I used rice vinegar. The muffins came out surprisingly well, nice texture, somewhat bland flavor, but I put a little honey on one and it was so nice to have a fresh baked muffin! I used paper muffin tin liners and the muffin stuck to the paper . . . I might grease the bottom of the paper next time. I think I will experiment adding some chopped cranberries or raisins next time . . . . will let you know how they turn out.

    Reply

  85. I tried out this recipe this morning and loved them! I added dried cranberries and some chocolate chips.. It was great with the raspberry jam I had but I also had one as a snack without it and they were equally tasty. I am a new fan Elena! I like that it makes a smaller quantity as well. And it was quick and easy to make this morning before heading off to work!

    Reply

  86. We are new to Paleo and everyone in the house raved about these! I had them with butter and warm apple butter, PERFECT! Thank you so much for making the recipe only 4 muffins as I could eat a hundred of them!

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  87. Thank you so much, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and am on a low starch diet to help manage it, so these lovely muffins help me a lot, great recipe!

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  89. This is my go-to recipe for a quick snack. I just love them with some grass fed butter and preserves! My trick to getting them baked perfectly every time? I use Wilton square silicone baking cups on a (small) cookie sheet in my toaster oven! The rise is amazing – even better than the muffins I used to make with whole wheat!

    Reply

  91. I made these tonight and they were awful. I used my own homemade almond flour and it just didn’t cut it for me. Maybe by adding homemade apple sauce or homemade yogurt, then they will moisten up a bit. But these were way too dry. The ducks liked them, though!

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  93. thank you so much for this wonderful blog.

    I like xylitol as a sweetener better than agave syrup.. and I see agave syrup listed in many of your recipes. What might you suggest as fair substitution?

    tonight I took half a cup of water and 1/4 cup xylitol and simmered it down to a reduction and used a tablespoon of that for the above recipe. the reduction was not as thick as agave syrup…. but the recipe came together fairly well, the muffins did rise.

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  94. These came out great! I made 6 muffins (to fit in my toaster oven). When my 3 eggs measured 5.25 oz, I added SCD yogurt to get to 6 oz, and everything else was per the recipe. What a lovely, flexible recipe!!

    Reply

    • Oh, wait- I used honey instead of agave, but I always do that with no trouble, so I didn’t think to mention it.

      Reply

  95. Tried these adding a sprinkle of sea salt, a splash of vanilla and a cup of fresh blueberries….AMAZING! Thank you.

    Reply

  96. We loved these and gobbled them up, but they started me hankering for donuts. How about an adventure down donut lane?

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  97. I turned this recipe into blueberry muffins, and they were so good! My wheat-eating husband couldn’t even tell that they weren’t regular muffins. I doubled the recipe, used raw honey instead of agave, added 1/4 t sea salt, added 1 t vanilla extract, omitted the vinegar and added the juice and zest of one lemon. After mixing the wet and dry ingredients, I folded in 1 cup of frozen blueberries. It made 10 muffins and I did have to bake them longer (20 min at 350 and then I turned the oven down to 325 for another 5 minutes). I loved that there was no extra fat in the recipe as I find many of the almond or coconut flour muffins with added oil or butter to be too greasy. These didn’t stick to the wrappers, they were moist, but they weren’t the least bit greasy. I plan to make these again and again!

    Reply

    • Thank you for these awesome recipes. I have been searching for recipes which are non dairy sources of calcium, and this site is just awesome. My first attempt at eating these muffins I found them a little dry, so I had to make a large cup of coffee or chocolate almond milk. But I could not tell the difference between regular muffins and these. I added walnuts and frozen blueberries which are available year round. I control how much sugar I ingest by putting just a dollop of honey on top of each muffin. Heavenly!

      Reply

  98. This recipe is amazing. I can’t believe there’s no flour involved.

    I made an adaption of this recipe with rhubarb, it’s a bit long to post it here so here’s the link to it http://is.gd/jOligU

    Thanks Elana

    Reply

    • I checked out your recipe but I think you forgot to list the flour. I couldn’t post on your site without registering so I hope you will see this here.

      Reply

  99. Hi. I would like to know if Ms. Elana ever replies to her readers comments? I had a few questions but never received a reply.

    Reply

  101. These are delicious! I tried other almond flour muffins but none had the right consistency.

    Wondering if you had nutrion details on these – i.e. carbs, calories, etc. I am trying track all of my calories and intake in a food journal.

    Thanks,
    Megan

    Reply

  102. I just made these with cranberries and followed your instructions exactly (rare for me…) and they turned out amazing. I’ll be stuck at a hotel for the next 5 days for a curly hair event and the menu is not gluten free friendly. I made these to bring along to have a healthy emergency snack. The texture is great and I love that there’s only 1T of sweetener in them. Thank you so much, this will be my new go-to muffin recipe. – Jess

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  103. I’d like to know what is meant by “ounces” here – this may have caused problems for others who posted that these didn’t turn out:
    4 oz of almond flour – is this weighed? I assumed so because the recipe says about a cup.
    1 oz agave nectar – I assume this is fluid ounces, and not weighed, since it’s a liquid.
    4 oz of eggs – are the eggs also fluid ounces?

    This is one of the many problems with the old Imperial measuring system, that ounces can mean a weight or a size!

    Reply

  105. this recipe does not seem to work. I followed it exactly. They need salt, they taste flat. They are also raw in the middle. any suggestion of what I could have done wrong? I think this recipe either needs to be modified or needs more instruction. Sorry Elana.

    Reply

  106. I just make these, they did not work at all. What did I do wrong?They taste like they need salt. They are raw in the middle…I followed recipe exactly. Sorry but I think this recipe needs to be modified.

    Reply

  108. Made these tonight. Due to some of the comments I decided to add some cinnamon, salt and chopped green apple. They came out good -a bit dense but just how I like them. Next time I’ll add a bit more spice. Excellent!

    Reply

  109. I just made these muffins. I ground the almonds and tried it. It is amazing. I have been doing gluten free for more than a year now and did not know that you could use just simple almonds to bake. Gluten free flours are dense and tend to flop sometimes. This turned out great. Thank you. I am glad I found your site.

    My dream is to have a small shop, filled with yummy gluten and diary free goodies.

    Thanks You again
    Wendy

    Reply

  110. I doubled this recipe and added a container of organic pumpkin baby food and about 1/4 cup of chia seeds… it was WONDERFUL!!! Great muffins… the kids loved them and super healthy :)

    THANKS Elana for sharing this site… one of our very favs :)

    Reply

  111. Hi Elana! I wanted to let you know that I made these, with a few variations, and they were so delicious! I posted my modified recipe on my own blog, but of course I gave you credit for creating the template! Also, my husband pronounced them the best muffins he has ever tasted- and neither of us are strictly gluten-free!
    Thanks for another awesome recipe!

    Reply

  112. Elana,
    Thank you for joining the ratio rally. It is one area I am not really good in, math. I can do cooking fractions and thats about it! Anyway, I just thought I would let you know that I have tripled this recipe, added a splash extra of vanilla and baked it in a regular size loaf pan. It consistantly turns out a beautiful loaf of Victoria Sponge Cake worthy of any British tea table! Absolutly divine with butter and raspberry jam. I also make this leaving out most of the vanilla and call it our daily bread. It stores well in the fridge. It keeps a soft texture after many days, and the taste is great with everything.
    Thanks again!

    Reply

  113. These are the best nut flour muffins I have tried, and I just baked them for the second time. They are so like regular flour muffins! Moist but not greasy like other low carb muffin recipes. I added 4 oz. chopped apple and 1/2t cinnamon and used 2T granulated ZSweet (erythritol/stevia) instead of agave. They are fabulous. Any recipe I have tried of yours turns out perfectly- very like their flour/sugar counterparts. (My husband loves the almond joy “snack cake” and another site had your almond butter olive bread, which was divine!!) Thanks so much!

    Reply

  115. Hello I tried this recipe over the weekend (thank you for posting it). For me this turned out very dry and I had to drink something just to swallow each bite – but other than that it was very nice. Is there anything that one could add to make it substantially more moist? I did bake it for exactly 15 min until the top/sides were very slightly browned. Thank you!!

    Reply

  116. Hi!
    I’m new to the gluten-free diet. My roommate was recently semi-diagnosed with IBS/Crohn’s and we have him on the Specific Carb Diet. Since Gluten-free is more known, It’s easier to find those recipes. And since some of the recipes can be used in the Specific Carb Diet, I took a look at yours =) -Of course, I’m learning what to tweak if needed for the difference between the two.
    Last night I attempted to make these muffins. I never weigh ingredients, but noticed that it says 4 oz of the nut flour is about 1 cup. I measured out 1 cup and then 2 eggs. Before mixing the 2, I saw that it looked like it would be too eggy and it wouldn’t be equal parts. I then poured the 1 cup of nut flour into another measuring cup and it equals out to 8 oz. So I cut it down to 1/2 cup nut flour. I added some vanilla extract & fresh fruit to the muffins & baked them and they came out really good.
    Just checking if the 4 oz. of nut flour should be 1/2 cup or actually 1 cup?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Tiffany,

      Thanks for your comment. This recipe is made for using a scale for the exact reasons you state above!

      Enjoy,
      Elana

      Reply

  118. So glad to be a part of this Rally with you. I love this recipe…pure n’ simple. Just the way I like it. Thanks Elana; have a great weekend and keep up the amazing gluten-free work.

    Reply

  119. Hmm…I definitely thought these needed some salt because they were pretty dense and bland. The denseness makes sense because of the almond flour, but it didn’t necessarily make it a tasty muffin. I added some jam, and that was better, but I can’t say I was in love with them. I could add some more stuff to them (nuts, cranberries, etc.) but I’m not sure I’m in love enough with the original recipe to deviate from it. :-(

    Reply

  120. Made these the other morning and my 2 yr old loved them with a bit of blackberry jam. Next time, I’m trying my muffins with some local honey. Thanks Elana.

    Reply

  122. Hi Elana,
    I heard about you a few months ago on the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen site when they were giving away a copy of your cookbook. I didn’t win, so I had to buy it and have been loving it ever since. (ordered 5 lbs of almond flour from Honeyville) I also made a almond flour muffins for the ratio rally – taking inspiration from you and elsewhere.

    http://mindfulfood.blogspot.com/2011/04/almond-joy-gluten-free-muffins-vegan_06.html

    Almond flour is a miracle food in my book – so easy to use and delicious!

    thanks for blazing the trail!

    Reply

  123. Hi Elana;

    Love your site & your recipes always make me salivate! A quick question about making your own almond milk, as it so expensive in stores, can you re-use the ground almonds after for baking with?
    I know this is a bit of a random comment for this recipe!

    Thanks
    Louise

    Reply

  124. Hi Elana,
    Do think it will work if I triple all ingred for the almond muffins to yield 12?
    Sincerely,
    Scott Belanger

    Reply

    • I doubled the recipe, added a container of organic pumpkin baby food and about 1/4 cup of chia seeds and it produced 12 AMAZING muffins… my family wishes it made 24 muffins :) They were gone in no time :)

      Reply

  125. The best part about this recipe is that it only has 5 ingredients. I like to have some recipes that are quick and simple on hand like this one. Great idea for breakfast!

    Reply

  126. hiya- I wonder if anyone can answer a couple of my questions – there are a couple of things about ingredients and ratios that are really puzzling me…

    when I first started making the bread mix (from your simple bread recipe) the batter was really runny – and I was able to pour it into the loaf tin…now when I make it, it’s so sticky, I can hardly get it off the spoon! What would the difference be in the ingredients or ratios that I’m using? I can’t remember if maybe I used to add oil? What would that do to a recipe? or maybe I used more eggs? I just can’t remember (now I’m using 2.5cups of almond flour, 3 eggs etc). Any ideas would be much appreciated!

    the other thing is, I make almond flour muffins – following a couple of recipes from your book (which I love!) – but I use 2.5 cups of almond flour – and 3 eggs? And they always come out really nicely – what would the difference be if I used 1 cup and 2 eggs as in your recipe here (or 2 cups and 4 eggs), which means there’s a lot more eggs per almond flour!

    I’m new to baking and would love some advice!

    PS. YOur site has kept me going during a very low point in my health with colitis, so thank you very much x

    Reply

  127. Elana,

    I just wanted to THANK YOU for this site and all your testing. I can’t eat gluten anymore, and I also eat low-carb as I am pre diabetic. Your site has been a total Godsend to me, and I thank you!

    Looking forward to trying this recepie later this week!

    Reply

  128. I made the muffins yesterday and I added pistachios and some dark choc chips and I have to say they were amazing and I also made the vegan chocolate frosting for the first time and it is the closest thing I have come to tasting like real frosting…Thank you Elana

    Reply

  129. Fantastic! I’m so happy you have joined in on this. And I love that you gave a different ratio for almond flour. It’s quite different, isn’t it? I want some of your muffins.

    Reply

  130. I love the concept or starting a recipe with a ratio. With gluten-free baking, I always try to first tweak someone else’s recipe, but this ratio idea is intriguing. I’ll see what I can come up with. Thank you for posting this :)

    Reply

  131. lovely Elana! A perfect low glycemic take on muffins! I might have to whip up a batch of these this evening!

    Reply

  133. This is what I’ve been wanting, expect no wanting to waste my almond flour to experiment! :)thank you Elana! Have you ever tried using yogurt combined with baking soda to help the rise.

    Reply

  134. Interesting. I made several batches, too, using different ratios, and came out with some wonderful door stops, dog treats, and odd looking muffins. I did end up with a similar MR ratio, but because I counted the yogurt/sour cream, mashed banana and egg white as liquid. Loved reading about your process – I love the rise on your muffins – nice!

    Reply

  135. Vegan -Gluten Free muffin basics:

    I’ve struggled to come up with a Vegan GF muffin that is tasty… using a variation on yours (almond flour) and others I found this is pretty darn tasty…very moist

    2 1/2 C JK Almond flour (it is the finest ground of them all- good for muffins – although I like Honeywell for cookies)
    1/2 C arrowroot powder
    1sp baking soda
    1/2 C brown rice syrup (use agave if you prefer – sweeter though)
    1 1/2 C applesauce
    1 egg replacer – I use enerG and make sure you add it last – needs to go in oven right away.
    1 C of your favorite add-in (choc chips, chopped fruit, berries – just be careful you are adding too much moisture – eg:blueberries are juicy so maybe only add 1/2-3/4 cup or lessen applesauce a little).

    Cooking these in muffin papers works better – spoon cups full – bake 350 for 30-40 min. They brown nicely.

    Double Chocolate Strawberry was our favorite so far – added 1/4 cocoa powder, chopped strawberries and chocolate chips. MMmmmm.

    Reply

  136. These remind me of little cakes my grandmother used to make. Thanks for sharing this – I can’t wait to try the recipe!

    Reply

  138. Hi Elena – first of all I love your book and site. We had the shrimp fritters for dinner and they are outstanding!!

    So I made these muffins after soaking, dehydrating and grinding my own almonds (digestion issues galore) and I did add some sunbutter for a thicker consistency. And…the insides turned bright green!!! Has this ever happened to you? A reaction with the ACV and soda? I’m so curious and bummed to toss them if need be. Hoping you have an answer for me! Thanks so much…Jen

    Reply

    • It’s safe to eat. Chlorogenic acid (from the sunflower seeds)in sunbutter causes it to turn green when baked, don’t worry :D

      Reply

  139. I was just looking into buying a scale. Is there a scale you recommend? Is it better to go digital or the old fashioned kind? I feel like I’m coming across more and more recipes written in grams and ounces rather than cups- any thoughts why this may be?

    Reply

    • I got OXO’s digital scale with the pull out display (great feature for large items on the scale) for about $50.00 at Bed Bath and Beyond, plus 20% off with a coupon. I love it. It converts easily for pounds to grams and tares very easily.

      This scale is recommended by America’s Test Kitchen.

      Reply

  140. Could the 2:2:1:1 ratio be used when baking with coconut flour?

    I’m itching to create my own flavor profiles on recipes for cupcakes/breads but am not sure what to use as the springboard

    Reply

  142. Love that you did all of this testing for us! I own Ratio and love it, but haven’t really put it into practice, because as we all know, gluten-free flour does not act like wheat flour…and one gluten-free flour does not necessarily act like another. But I love using almond flour and love that this ratio is now here! Now, what type of muffins will I make? :)

    Reply

  143. I just recently (last week) found out that I’m gluten intolerant, so I think that book would be really helpful in creating new recipes.

    Reply

  144. I’m not a numbers person myself, and have never really gotten the hang of weighing ingredients.
    Sounds like an intriguing concept though.

    Reply

  146. Elana,
    These muffins look amazing. Also being a math person, I love the ratio approach. This is actually how I learned to cook quick breads back when my mother taught me at age 7 or 8. I suspect she was teaching me fractions as well. Love it. Can’t wait to taste them. Thanks. Deb

    Reply

  147. MMM these look yummy! I will defintely try these because they don’t look to sweet and and Id love to add some berries in there. Fabulous recipe!

    Teenie Foodie

    Reply

    • I just ordered a Procizion Digital Kitchen Food Scale from Amazon! On my first try with this recipe I used Elana’s “about a cup, about a 1/4 tsp, etc” and they turned out well but now I’ll be able to actually weigh the ingredients and get it exactly right.

      Reply

  150. Lovely simple recipe, Elana! Great to now this ratio can be used for all kinds of muffins made with almond flour. :-) Love Ruhlman and you! Both of you are very passionate, talented folks inside and outside the kitchen. ;-)

    xo,
    Shirley

    Reply

  151. Simple recipe! This reiterates how important having ratio in our life. Especially in baking :)

    Reply

  152. HI Elana,

    These muffins remind me of your Irish Soda Bread Recipe minus the raisins. I left a question under that recipe because my Irish Soda Bread did not look like yours…it tasted great, though! Mine was bumpy, but yours looked smooth. Did you mix the ingredients by hand or with a mixer? I did not receive an answer so I thought I would post here. Not sure what the correct procedure is. Also, I couldn’t put an x in it because the dough was so sticky. Any helpful hints? I love the recipe and look forward to trying your muffins also!

    Reply

  153. oooh- i’ve been playing with quick-breads this week too. and something like ratios!

    must play with muffins. we’ve settled on soured brown rice flatbreads in a cast iron skillet, and sprouted quinoa in a similar form (quinoa doesn’t like to sour)- the only way we eat any grains is after souring them for 24-48 hours. It makes a totally different batter and final product than regular grains.

    also playing with coconut and almond flour b/c this site is so amazing and we love the paleo foods!

    must make coconut cake soon!

    Reply

    • Hi there, i was wondering how do you sour grains? I eat lots of cultured veggies and drink cultured juices, would love to sour grains as well.
      Blessings,
      Annie

      Reply

      • I could not resist replying to this, even though it is an older post. But isn’t soured grains called hard alcohol? Sorry. I told you I could not resist. lol

        Reply

  154. Oh, this is SO awesome, Elana! I read Ratio just before going gluten-free. Loved it, but had no notion of how to use the concept with my new dietary restrictions. Thank you so much for figuring this out!

    Reply

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