Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

There have been some great grain-free cookbooks coming out in the last few years (a few of my favorites include Everyday Grain-Free Baking, Gather, and Easy Paleo Meals) and it’s been fun to check them out to find new recipes. I actually love it when friends tell me about new ones that have been released or I happen to discover them through social media (which is how I found Easy Paleo Meals!). Quite a few of them have provided dishes that I’ve added to our meal plan rotation and we eat on a regular basis.

I especially love the recipes where the author has taken foods that I used to love but no longer eat (mainly because they have gluten) and make a version of them that we actually can eat. One of those recipes is blueberry muffins. When I was in high school, as a way to make money for our class, we used to sell the giant muffins you can get at Costco that come in different flavors. I bought one of these every single day and my favorite part was the crunchy, sweet topping. Of course I’ve had to give those muffins up since then as Costco doesn’t offer any gluten-free options in their bakery, but I definitely miss them. Every time we go and I pass by them (they do still sell them 20 years later!), I’m tempted to cheat just once.

Last fall, I was sent a copy of Without Grain by Hayley Barisa Ryczek to review and I was impressed by the variety of grain-free and refined sugar-free dishes she offers. She includes several recipes that would make great pantry staples (eg. pie crust, breading mix, and buttermilk biscuits and dinner rolls [both of which can be frozen and reheated]), and provides at least one item in pretty much any type of menu category.

I’ve also found that most grain-free cookbooks eliminate dairy because they’re often aimed at the strict paleo crowd, but she is generous in her use of cheese, cream, and milk which my dairy-loving family can appreciate (though there are also plenty of recipes without any diary). I also love that she uses natural sweeteners as that’s so hard to come by when it comes to baked goods. This is a great cookbook if you’re wanting to go grain-free or have already eliminated grains from your diet, or even if you’re just interested in eating healthier!

Today I’m sharing our favorite recipe so far from her book, blueberry muffins with a crumb topping that is even better than those Costco muffins I remember so fondly. These muffins are sweetened with honey (and coconut sugar in the crumb topping) and they even earned E’s stamp of approval, which is saying a lot from a guy who usually doesn’t care for honey as a sweetener in baked goods!

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

From Without Grain

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the muffins

• 2.5 cups blanched almond flour
• .5 cup arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

For crump topping

• 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
• 1/4 cup cooking fat softened (I used butter)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat the over to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
• To make the muffins: In a large bowl, combine the flour, starch, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl or mixing cup, combine the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing just enough to combine, and then gently fold in the blueberries.
• To make the topping: In a small bowl, use your fingers to crumble together the topping ingredients.
• Divide the muffin batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Top each with crumb topping. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. As soon as the muffins are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a rack and allow to cool before serving.

Author: Hayley Barisa Ryczek