Crunchy Millet, Carrot, and Turmeric Muffins

Could these muffins be filled with any more good stuff? From the nutrient-rich almond meal to the hemp seeds, walnuts, dried cherries, and turmeric, they are a veritable market basket of goodness! The tops spread out over the edges and get crispy, and the millet flakes (available in any health food store) add little bits of crunchiness to every morsel. I’m partial to my ceramic muffin tin (see Tip), which bakes evenly and encourages crispness and browning, like a pizza stone in muffin-tin form. These muffins freeze beautifully and make great lunchtime desserts for the kids; wrap them individually in parchment paper and include them in school lunches.

Makes 6 large or 8 standard muffins

• Coconut oil cooking spray or baking spray
• 1½ cups almond meal or almond flour (see Tip)
• ¼ cup flax meal
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• ¼ cup millet flakes (see above)
• 2 tablespoons millet, soaked and dehydrated
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 jumbo or 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh turmeric or ½ teaspoon dried
• ½ cup dried cherries or dried blueberries, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup walnuts, soaked and dehydrated, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 6-compartment jumbo or 8-compartment regular muffin tin with coconut oil cooking spray or baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, flax meal, hemp seeds, millet flakes, millet, coconut palm sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the carrots, turmeric, dried fruit, and walnuts.

Divide the batter among the compartments in the muffin tin and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Tip You can find ceramic muffin tins online, available on Amazon. My favorite is the Hartstone Pottery six-compartment stoneware muffin tin. If you’re making other muffin recipes, these babies hold a lot of batter, so you might want to increase the recipe by half.