MY DARLING LEMON THYME

banana coffee oat muffins à la Vanilla Bean Blog

We have arrived safely back home in Raglan, NZ and it feels like we never left. It’s funny how the instant you return to a place as familiar as this, the past few years seem to disappear in an instant. Already it feels like our life back in Perth was just a dream…
Today I have a very special blogger friend sharing one of her beautiful recipes with you. I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s blog, writing and especially her photographs for some time now and The Vanilla Bean Blog is another of my most favourite blog discoveries of 2012. Sarah’s blog is not exclusively gluten-free (although there are plenty of gf recipes on there too!) but that has never stopped me from ogling over her posts and day-dreaming about eating bittersweet chocolate tartlets with flaky spelt crust + creme fraiche for dessert! ~Emm

Hello everyone, my name is Sarah and I have a blog called The Vanilla Bean Blog.  I have always loved to bake and spent a few years baking for various coffeehouses, and now I am home with my two little ones where we spend lots of time in the kitchen together. I am thrilled to be here – I love Emma and this beautiful space of hers, and can’t wait to see her book! 

My family is not gluten-free, but I have many friends who are and I think it is important to have quality treats on hand for them when they stop by. Recently I made these muffins for a friend, and am now officially addicted to them. I love that there is no white sugar or white flour in them, and how easy they are to make. They are a great on-the-run breakfast, or a simple afternoon snack.

Banana Coffee Oat Muffins with Chocolate

This recipe is inspired by these muffins from Roost blog. I’ve been obsessively making them; however, I found that when I added lots of extras to them (fruit, chocolate, nuts), the center wouldn’t rise. I decided to do some tinkering to see if I could make the muffin bake up a bit better for me (I do need my chocolate, after all). Bumping up the oven temperature helped, as well as adding a bit more leavener. Taking out an egg and adding oats worked, too, and I found myself with a moist, hearty muffin that still retained it deliciousness. 

Makes approx 10 muffins


2 cups almond flour
1/2 cups (gluten-free) oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (good) honey
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
1/4 cup strong coffee, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 banana, diced
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling.

Preheat oven to 190C/375 F, and line a muffin pan. 
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Whisk together honey, oil, coffee, vanilla, egg, and baking soda. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix gently until almost combined. Add the banana, chocolate, and cacao nibs if using, and mix until combined. 
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the muffin cup almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar, and bake for 15-18 minutes, until muffins are browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and continue to cool on the rack.

Thanks so much Sarah! xx Emm

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22 Responses

  1. Yummo 🙂 i have lots of almond meal at the moment, so definitely be making these… perfect for my uni lunch x

  2. What gorgeous muffins! I absolutely love Sarah's simple, honest blogging and baking style and will definitely be adding these to my repertoire.

  3. Ahhh! I was looking for a banana muffin to replace my old gluten filled stand-by (we recently needed to switch to gluten free). Thanks Sarah!

  4. What a lovely guest post! I've had to recently begin eating gluten-free and am enjoying baking with almond flour. Thank you for sharing this marvelous recipe, Sarah! Hope you are enjoying your time in NZ, Emma!

  5. I. am. making. these. Way to go, Sarah!

    Nice to find your blog, Emma! I am always looking for new ideas for gluten-free. Everything here looks delightful!

  6. My gorgeous mother is newly diagnosed as being gluten intolerant and want to keep an eye out for great recipe finds. I have armed her with cookbooks but would love to surprise her with these – they sounds great and knowing our body isn't meant to digest a lot of gluten I am taking the tact to lessen my own consumption – huge banana and coffee fan so I think these will be a winner for me if anything lol

    1. I'm sure that would work just fine, however you may need to adjust the liquid amounts slightly as wheat flour absorbs more than almond meal.