It’s full-fledged summer time and I have to say I’m most thankful for the handful of nice, non-humid days we’ve been enjoying here in the DMV (or as Mommy calls it, “San Diego weather.” I’ll take it!) In fact, the hubs and I spent Monday afternoon blueberry picking at our favorite Homestead Farm. They’ve got the best pick-your-own varieties for every season, in our humble opinions, so we find ourselves there quite a few times each year. This was (shamefully) our first trip this growing season since life’s been so hectic, but Anthony looooooves blueberries, so I thought it’d be a great day-date. Look how preeeeetty it was!!!
Wanna know a secret? I actually hate berries. Of all kinds. Like, with a passion. I know, it’s absurd. But I’ve actually been like this my whole live. It’s an inexplicable aversion that I just can’t shake- the smell alone makes me squeamish. Go figure I’d marry a berry enthusiast. Freshly picked, baked, frozen… he eats any kind, any way. We balance each other out I guess.
With 2 pounds of freshly picked blueberries, we were armed for baking mastery. Except I was only allotted just a few cups to work with (2.5, to be exact…) as the remainder had to be frozen for smoothies and reserved for eating by the fistful. Gotta love this guy! To further complicate things, he’s on a gluten-free kick for the next few weeks. Just keeps getting interesting!
So back to the point: Fourth of July is rapidly approaching and everyone needs something festive to celebrate. Enter, healthy Fourth of July muffins! Namely, gluten free and sugar free red, white and blue muffins (except the agave made these darker than I originally intended, so they’re more “gold” than “white”… no matter!) They’re 100% #HulkApproved, that’s for sure! We made these with 100% coconut flour and sweetened them up a bit with agave, and they’re packed with fresh strawberries and blueberries for a glorious start to the long weekend. They have a soft crumb and deliciously moist texture, too (I’m told), which can be hard to achieve using non wheat-based flours. I have to admit, they smelled great baking, but the berries… I just couldn’t. Ha! Maybe one day (doubt it).
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 eggs
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup agave
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup fresh blueberries, rinsed, drained and patted dry
- ½ cup fresh diced strawberries, rinsed, drained and patted dry
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners (or spray lightly with coconut oil cooking spray).
- Rinse berries, drain and pat dry. Hull and dice strawberries (so they're roughly the same size as the blueberries) and set all berries aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, and agave. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until everything is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is smooth (you may want to transition to a rubber spatula towards the end). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the berries.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
[…] in case you’re new around here, PSA: I HATE BLUEBERRIES! ? I mean, I’ll go pick them, but I actually don’t eat berries at all. Ever. But […]