When we lived in Brantford we used to buy un-pasturized honey from a local beekeeper. One day she randomly gave me a cookbook, the "Ontario Honey Recipe Book", and I went home and tried a few of the recipes right away.
   Honey lends an unexpected flavour to foods, and I enjoyed using it. One of my favourite recipes though was this Date Orange Muffin recipe. I hadn't made these in a long time though, but want to try them again, only changing a few things to suit us now. They are gluten free, dairy free, and using half honey, half maple syrup (because my neighbour stopped by with syrup he had made!). The result was fantastic, and these muffins were as good as I remembered.

Date Orange Muffins
Adapted from the "Ontario Honey Recipe Book"

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole orange, thoroughly washed
• 1/4 Cup orange juice, or lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 1/2 Cup pitted dates (not diced), plus 5-7 more pitted, and diced (the extra dates are optional)
• 1/2 Cup Coconut oil, melted
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Cup honey 
• 1/4 Cup maple syrup 
• 1/2 Cup Almond meal
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Cup walnut meal 
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt

*If you don't have walnut meal, just make up the difference with more almond meal.

* *If you are not gluten free, the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of honey (I reduced the amount to suit us/the type of flours I was using), and 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour.


Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line a muffins tray with muffin liners
   
2. Cut orange into sections, and remove seeds if any. Drop into a blender, and blend until the rind is finely ground. Yup. you use an ENTIRE orange! 
3. Add juice, pitted (not diced) dates, coconut oil, egg, honey and maple syrup and blend until well mixed.
4. In a large bowl mix together the flours with the baking powder, baking soda, salt.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix, and add the blended liquids.
6. Stir only until moistened. Gently stir in the extra diced dates (if using). Let this mixture sit for a few minutes so the coconut flour absorbs sufficient moisture.
7. Spoon into muffin tins, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are browning, and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. 

   A whole, fresh orange gives these muffins an incredible, bright taste.  

   I hope these wonderful, fresh tasting muffins make it into your list of things-to-try!  

   A while back I posted a chocolate mug cake that needed to be microwaved. Two things happened though: One, people e-mailed to ask what they can do if they didn't have a micro-wave, and two: I personally found that I often couldn't actually eat the whole mug cake. Because I didn't want to waste, and I also didn't want to leave some random, useless amount of mug cake in the fridge, I would end up eating it all and feeling a smidge too full. 
   So, to answer both problems, here are mini muffins (so you could eat as much or little as you want), made in the oven!  

Mini Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients: 

• 2 Very ripe bananas
• 2 Tbsp nut butter
• 2 eggs
  
• 4 Tbsp cocoa (about 1/4 cup)
• 2-4 Tsp honey or maple syrup (optional). I have never used a sweetener, and these taste just sweet enough.
  
• 1 Tbsp extras: Nuts, raisins, chopped un-sweetened chocolate (or unsweetened chocolate chips), whatever! (optional)

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F. Lightly  grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin, and line with petit four muffin liners. 
2. In a medium bowl, squish up the bananas using a fork.
3. Mix in the nut butter and egg, and blend together. Then add the cocoa powder, and sweetener (if you are using any), and mix until it is evenly combined
4. Stir in any extras if you are using any
5. Using a 1 tbsp scoop (or a regular tablespoon), scoop batter into each muffin liner. The batter should fill all 24 spots.
6. Bake in warmed oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before removing from the muffin tray.
7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and eat at your leisure! :)  

   These little gems have a moist, fluffy texture, and I'm sure you'll love 'em!     

   I have a confession.....I love those micro-wave cake/muffin/cookie recipes that are going around these days. Yes, I know micro-waves are bad for you, and I seriously don't use it very often at all. 
   But every now and again you want a warm, baked-good type treat, but just enough for one, and you don't want to turn the oven on for it. In this case though, what I really wanted was maple syrup, and needed something to eat it on! Enter the Pancake in a Mug (o.k., well, actually, I like to use a ramekin, but "pancake in a ramekin" doesn't sound as nice)....also, it's something like a muffin, but you wouldn't usually eat syrup with a muffin!. It's name is all a big lie, but it's yummy, so, who cares!? Also, let me warn you, it's actually a healthy little morsel, so it's easy to forgive!

Pancake in a Mug (or whatever)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed 
  
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
  
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey 
• 1 egg white
  
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, all spice or cinnamon
  
• 1 ounce (approx. 1/8 cup) frozen or fresh blueberries or raspberries, or chocolate chips, or whatever you want! 

* This could be a low carb treat if you used a sugar free maple syrup, and a low-carb fruit (blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries are low)


Method:

1. Lightly grease a micro-wave safe mug (large), a bowl, or a 6oz ramekin, set aside.
2. Using a small bowl measure out the flax, then add the baking powder, abad stir.
3. Add the maple syrup or honey, egg white, and spice. Mix thoroughly. 
4. Mix in berries or chocolate chips.
5. Pour into the dish you have greased and put into microwave for 90 seconds (if your micro is notoriously overpowering, try 60 seconds first, then add the last 30 seconds if needed). 

    Use an oven mitt to get this out of the micro, as it will be hot! I like to knock mine out of the dish to eat with some maple syrup, or sometimes I will just leave it in the dish.  Depends on if I want to wash an extra plate! :)  

    You will be surprised at how light and fluffy this turns out! And it's just the right size, tastes not too sweet, and gets a slight nutty flavour from the flax. I honestly make this particular recipe at any time of day-for breakfast, lunch, a mid-day snack, a dessert, or a watching t.v. at night snack. The kids ask for them too. 
    I hope to share some more micro-wave mug recipes in the future (sorry peeps with no micro-waves!), but in the meanwhile, do you have a favourite, or have you tried a micro-wave mug recipe at all before?    

   
​     Time to use up some rotten bananas! 

    These gluten free mini muffins (or you can make them full sized too) rise beautifully, taste great, and are easy to put together. 

Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
 
1 1/2Cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2Cup packed brown sugar

1/2Tsp Salt

2 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp Cinnamon (optional)

1/3Cup Butter or coconut oil, melted

1 large banana, mashed (roughly 1/2Cup)

1/3Cup Milk 

1/2Cup Chocolate Chips


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease, or use muffin liners in muffin pan. 

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon (if using).

3. In a smaller bowl mix the milk, melted butter, and mashed banana. 

4. Add the wet to the dry, and mix just until moistened. 

5. Fold in the chocolate chips

6. Scoop batter into mussing pan. I used my 2 tbsp scoop from The Pampered Chef to fill my mini muffin liners. If you're making regular sized muffins, fill 3/4of the way.

7. If making MINI sized: bake for 11-12 minutes
   If making REGULAR sized: baked for 20-23 minutes.

Makes 24 mini, or 12 regular sized muffins.

     I like to make these mini so I can send them with the kids to school, and it's not some jumbo muffin they are likely to not have time to finish, and will just waste. They freeze really well, so bake 'em, put them away in the freezer when cooled (in a airtight container), and take them out as needed!

     Happy muffin making! 

  I'm not really 100% sure where I got this recipe in the first place. It's printed on a lined sheet of paper with a lot of other notes scribbled on it! 

   It is one of my favourite Gluten Free muffin recipes though, as it seems to be more forgiving, turns out yummy, and can be put in  the freezer to have for mornings on the go. They are not fluffy muffins, but they are good, and good for you. 

  The recipe is adapted from the scribbly page I have. 

Banana Nut Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup gluten free flour (I usually use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour)
1/2 cup ground flax
2 cups almond flour (I use 2 cups of whatever nut flour I have, often a mix of nut flours)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs, beaten
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 tbsp melted coconut oil (butter would be o.k. too)
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
*1/4 cup unsweetened apple butter 
*1/4 cup orange or apple juice (to adjust consistency)
           *I actually use 1/2 cup sweet potato puree, or unsweetened applesauce. Just add 1/4 cup at first, then add the rest as needed

Method:
1.Preheat oven to 350
2.In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, and mix until well blended.
3.In another bowl, mix wet ingredients (reserving juice, or extra sweet potato puree or applesauce to thin).
4. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing until just blended. Mixture will be quite thick.
5.Add juice or extra wet ingredient until batter is more of a muffin consistency (thick, can be poured, but not "runny") 
6.Grease muffin tin, or use paper liners. Fill 3/4 full with batter.
7.Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove and cool on rack. 

I'm not sure how long you should freeze these for, but I have them frozen for up to 2 months.