Buckwheat Apple Muffins

Buckwheat Apple Muffins

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup light agave nectar*

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups buckwheat flour

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

*A natural sweetener taken from the aloe-like agave plant

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the canola oil and agave nectar on medium speed for about 20 seconds.

3. Add the applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix for about 20 seconds.

4. In a separate bowl combine the flour, gum, baking soda and salt.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined, about 20 seconds. Fold in the apple. The batter will be thick.

6. Fill the liners to the rim with batter. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Yields 12.

Analysis per muffin: 283 calories, 4g protein, 10g fat (1g saturated), 5.5g fiber, 47g carbohydrate, 238 mg sodium

Article and Recipe from Energy Times Magazine:

Reprinted with permission from The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook (© 2009 by Cybele Pascal, Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, www.randomhouse.com/crown/tenspeed); photo credit: Chugrad McAndrews