We used to play a game with Chloe when she was a toddler to teach her which foods were good for her brain and which were bad for her brain. By the time she was three she called blueberries “brain berries—God’s candy.” She would also ask if they were organic because nonorganic blueberries hold more pesticides than any other fruit, which is really bad for the brain!
SERVES 12
INGREDIENTS:
⅔ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
8 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup erythritol
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup coconut butter, softened
1 cup blueberries
OPTIONAL CRUMBLE TOPPING:
¼ cup almond meal
½ cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon erythritol
2 tablespoons coconut butter, softened
PREPARATION:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a twelve-muffin tin pan, lining each muffin cup with muffin papers, or spray with coconut oil nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl whisk together coconut flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, vanilla extract, maple syrup, erythritol, coconut milk, and coconut butter.
3. Whisk together the liquid ingredients in the center and then whisk in the dry ingredients. Keep whisking for 1 to 2 minutes or use a handheld electric mixer.
4. Fold in the blueberries and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. The batter will thicken as the coconut flour absorbs the liquid.
5. Combine all ingredients for the topping, if desired, and set aside.
6. Using a spoon, evenly distribute muffin batter between twelve muffin cups in the tin. Then sprinkle the topping evenly on each of the muffins.
7. Bake for 35 minutes and serve warm.
NOTE: Swap blueberries for cranberries for a delicious holiday treat!
NOTE: Baking often requires a small amount of either maple syrup or raw honey for consistency. Replacing it completely with stevia or erythritol is possible, but won’t usually yield the same moisture content and flavor. That’s why I’ve learned to combine ingredients. While each tablespoon of maple syrup yields about 1.1 gram of sugar per muffin in this recipe, compare that to the average blueberry muffin, which contains a whopping 30 grams of sugar. Most of the sugar in these muffins comes from the blueberries.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: 168.9 calories, 5.8g protein, 23.0g carbohydrates, 12.9g fiber, 7.2g sugar, 10.0g fat, 6.9g saturated fat, 124.0mg cholesterol, 114.5mg sodium