These muffins are free from refined sugar, gluten and dairy free, and fun to make! Add chopped pecan or walnuts to the mixture also if like. These are best eaten on the day of baking and they add colour to your Easter table.
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2⁄3 cup almond milk or milk your choice.
- 3 eggs at room temperature or vegan egg replacer (if you go with vegan version, these muffins may be less fluffy)
- 8 tablespoons coconut oil at room temperature
- 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3⁄4 cup (150 g) granulated monk fruit sweetener or coconut sugar (this will make the muffins darker)
- 1 3⁄4 cups (245 g) all-purpose gluten free flour
- 3⁄4 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 1⁄4 cup (36 g) corn starch* (or try arrowroot)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (from 1 small orange)
- 3⁄4 cups of currants (or you can use raisins, cut in half, alternatively wild dried blueberries are nice too)
- Vegan cream cheese (less salty version)
- Sweetener your choice
- Vanilla extract
- Pinch of turmeric
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.2. In a medium-sized bowl, place the milk and eggs, and whisk until the eggs are well-beaten. Add the oil, vanilla and sweetener, and whisk to combine well. Set the wet ingredients aside.
3. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, corn-starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, cinnamon and allspice, and whisk to combine well. Add the lemon zest and orange zest, and whisk again to combine, breaking up any clumps in the zest. Add about ¾ cups of the currants and whisk to combine. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Mix gently until just combined. Fill the wells of the prepared muffin tin 3/4 of the way full and shake the pan back and forth until the batter is level in the wells. Scatter the remaining currants evenly over the tops of the batter in the wells and press down very gently on the batter to help the currents adhere.
4. Place the muffin tin in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over-bake. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make the icing for the cross. Use any vegan cream cheese and sweeten to your preference, add vanilla extract too and mix well. For yellow colour add pinch of turmeric. Place the icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small open piping tip. Pipe the icing in a cross or X pattern on top of each cooled bun. Allow the icing to set before serving. You can also get creative and create small Easter chickens on the top too as per video. These are very cute for the Kids. You just need to make slightly bigger hole in your pimping bag.
For the chick's legs use some chopped carrots and wild dried blueberries for the eyes.
Enjoy with your favourite tea or as a little day snack.
