Apple-Walnut Muffins

I tried out a new recipe below for Apple-Walnut muffins made with quinoa flour and flaxseed. I had the quinoa flour in the pantry, but wasn’t sure what to do with it–until now. These muffins turned out great and they are naturally gluten-free and vegan. I tweaked a few things from the original recipe, so I’ll link to it here and then share my changes below.

These will make a great breakfast or mid-morning snack. The quinoa flour is a great source of protein and fiber as is the flaxseed “egg” used in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons ground flax seed
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 2 large apples, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 honey (if you don’t eat honey, then use 1/2 cup maple syrup)
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups quinoa flour, toasted (see recipe notes)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts; set some aside for topping
• 1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats (for topping)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 225°F and toast your quinoa flour for 30-50 minutes.
2. Mix the ground flax seed with the warm water in a bowl. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, until it becomes thick. (This is a vegan egg replacer. You can use 2 eggs instead if you’re not vegan (I’m not) and aren’t trying to conserve the eggs in the house (I am)).
3. Peel, wash, and grate the apples. Pat the apples dry after giving them a rinse to make the grating process easier.
4. In a larger bowl, mix the grated apples, maple syrup, and honey.
5. Whisk the oil and vanilla into the flax egg replacer.
6. Remove the quinoa flour from the oven after about 20-25 min. Let it cool a few minutes before continuing with the next steps. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
7. In a third bowl, whisk together the cooled quinoa flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
8. Stir the flax egg mixture into the apple mixture. Sprinkle the flour mixture over that and mix well. Stir most of the chopped walnuts remembering to save some for topping each muffin.
9. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or a large table spoon, divide the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
10. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining walnuts and the rolled oats.
11. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes, and then remove from the pan.
12. Enjoy warm or save some for later in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

From the original recipe: Quinoa flour has a grassy, slightly bitter flavor. Toasting the flour before using gives it a better flavor, though it’s not necessary. To toast the quinoa flour: spread it on a baking sheet and bake in a 225°F. oven for 30 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool before mixing into the muffin batter.

I did toast the flour on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. The parchment paper made it easy to funnel the flour into a bowl once it had cooled down.