Gluten-Free Roasted Almond and Blueberry Breakfast Muffins

These gluten-free roasted almond and blueberry breakfast muffins are made without wheat flour: raw almonds and rolled oats are blended into a flour, then mixed with banana, dates, blueberries and a little ghee, and topped with chopped roasted almonds. The recipe makes 6 medium-large muffins in about 45 minutes. They are gluten-free when you use oats labelled gluten-free, and three small swaps make them dairy-free and vegan.

Makes: 6 medium-large muffins. Time: 15 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes in the oven. Diet: gluten-free with certified oats, dairy-free with coconut oil, vegan with a flax egg and maple syrup. Equipment: a high-speed blender, a 6-hole muffin tin and a mixing bowl.

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• ½ cup raw almonds
• ¾ cup gluten-free rolled oats, split into ½ cup for blending and ¼ cup kept whole
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut
• 40 g dates, chopped
• 3 tablespoons raw cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (check that it is gluten-free)
• ½ teaspoon fine salt

Wet ingredients

• 1 small banana, about 85 g peeled
• 1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1 egg, or 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed stirred into 3 tablespoons water, left for 5 minutes)
• 1 tablespoon ghee, melted, or coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon mild (light) molasses, or honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Fold-in and topping

• 1/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 3 tablespoons roasted almonds, roughly chopped

How to make them

1. Heat the oven and grease the tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease 6 holes of a muffin tin with ghee or coconut oil, or use paper cases.
2. Make the almond and oat flour. Put the raw almonds, ½ cup of the oats, the coconut, salt, baking powder and sugar in the blender. Blend on high until it looks like coarse flour. Stop before it turns pasty, since almonds release oil if you blend too long.
3. Add texture. Tip the flour into a large bowl and stir in the remaining ¼ cup of whole oats and the chopped dates.
4. Blend the wet ingredients. Put the banana, soy milk, egg, melted ghee, molasses and almond extract in the blender and blend until smooth.
5. Mix. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until no dry flour is left. Fold in the blueberries gently so most of them stay whole.
6. Fill and top. Divide the batter between the 6 holes. They will be full, and these muffins rise little. Scatter the chopped roasted almonds over the tops and press them in lightly.
7. Bake. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops are golden and a knife pushed into the centre of one comes out clean. A smear of purple from a burst blueberry is fine. Wet batter is not.
8. Cool. Leave them in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift them onto a rack. Gluten-free muffins are fragile while hot and firm up as they cool.

How to roast the almonds

If your almonds are raw, roast the 3 tablespoons for the topping before you chop them. Spread them on a baking tray and roast at 180°C (350°F) for 8-10 minutes, shaking the tray once, until they smell toasty and the insides turn light gold. Let them cool, then chop. The topping bakes for another 30 minutes on the muffins, so stop early rather than late.

What the labels mean for these muffins

• Gluten-free: almonds, coconut and dates contain no gluten, and neither do oats. Most oats are grown and milled next to wheat, barley and rye, though, so buy oats labelled gluten-free. A small number of people with coeliac disease also react to avenin, the protein in oats. If that is you, ask your doctor or dietitian first.
• Dairy-free: only with coconut oil. Ghee is clarified butter. Most of the milk protein and lactose is removed, and many people who avoid lactose tolerate it, but it is still a dairy product.
• Vegan: with three swaps. A flax egg instead of the egg, coconut oil instead of ghee, and maple syrup or molasses instead of honey.
• Refined-sugar free: no. The recipe uses 3 tablespoons of raw cane sugar, which is less processed than white sugar but still sugar. The banana and dates carry much of the sweetness, so you can cut the sugar to 1-2 tablespoons.

Seasonal eating, Ayurveda and ghee: what holds

The earlier version of this post opened with Ayurvedic ideas about eating with the seasons, and some of its claims went further than the evidence. Here is where the sources agree and where they part.

The tradition. In Ayurveda, the cold, dry months call for warm, moist, dense and grounding food: cooked grains, root vegetables, healthy fats. Ghee holds a special place in Ayurvedic cooking, as a cooking fat and as a base for herbal preparations. As a tradition that is well documented, and a warm muffin with a hot drink on a cold morning fits it.

The science. The claim that our microbiomes change with the seasons has a real source behind it. A study of the Hadza, hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, found that their gut bacteria shift between the dry and wet seasons as their diet shifts. That tells us gut bacteria follow what you eat. It does not show that someone shopping in a supermarket with the same produce all year needs seasonal food to digest a meal.

The skeptic's view. "Superfood" is a marketing word. It is not a food category. Nutritionally, ghee is butterfat: mostly saturated fat, with some vitamin A. One tablespoon spread across six muffins is a small amount, and it is there for flavour. Ideas such as a warming effect on the energy body belong to the tradition and cannot be tested the way a nutrient can.

What you can say with confidence. These muffins give you oats, almonds and fruit instead of white flour, with fibre and some protein from the nuts, and less sugar than most bakery muffins. That makes them a reasonable breakfast. Warm, filling food on a cold morning is a good habit, whatever you think about doshas.

Swaps and variations

• Frozen blueberries: add them straight from the freezer so they bleed less into the batter, and give the muffins 3-5 extra minutes.
• Other berries: raspberries or chopped cherries work in the same amount.
• No almonds: use hazelnuts, or sunflower seeds for a nut-free version. Swap the almond extract for vanilla.
• No soy: oat milk or almond milk in the same amount.
• Molasses: use a mild or light molasses. Blackstrap molasses is bitter and takes over the muffins. Honey or maple syrup are easier to find and taste milder.

Storage

Keep them in a closed container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4. Warm them for a few minutes in the oven or for 20 seconds in the microwave before eating. They freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw them overnight in the fridge.

For more from Maria Praeg's kitchen, bake the salted hazelnut brownie loaf made with oats, or cook the creamy broccoli tofu soba bowl and the thyme and caraway broccoli pasta bake for dinner.

The muffins bake for 30 minutes, time enough for the Morning Flow class, or for the ten-minute Better Than Breakfast class with time left to make coffee. For something slower, pick a Hatha class. New to yoga? The Yoga for Beginners program starts from the first pose.

Frequently asked questions

What type of gluten-free flour is best for muffins?

For a whole-food muffin like this one, a mix of ground almonds and blended oats works well. The almonds bring moisture and fat, the oats bring structure. For light, fluffy bakery-style muffins, a ready-made gluten-free flour blend with rice flour and starch comes closer to wheat.

Are these blueberry muffins gluten-free?

Yes, as long as the oats and the baking powder are labelled gluten-free. Ordinary oats are often contaminated with wheat during growing and milling. People with coeliac disease who also react to oat protein should skip this recipe.

Can I make them vegan?

Yes. Use a flax egg instead of the egg, coconut oil instead of ghee, and maple syrup or molasses as the syrup. The soy milk is already plant-based.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes. Fold them in while still frozen so they bleed less into the batter, and add 3-5 minutes to the baking time. Check with a knife in the centre.

Why are my gluten-free muffins dense or gummy?

Almond and oat muffins are denser than wheat muffins, since there is no gluten to trap air. Gummy centres usually mean they came out too early or were eaten hot. Bake until a knife comes out clean and let them cool for at least 10 minutes.

Are these muffins healthy for breakfast?

They are a reasonable breakfast: oats, almonds, banana and berries, with less sugar than a typical bakery muffin. They are still a baked sweet food. Pair one with yoghurt or eggs if you want more protein to keep you full until lunch.

How long do they keep?

Up to 2 days at room temperature in a closed container, up to 4 days in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer.