Flourless Banana Coconut Muffins (nut-free, paleo)

I’m going to keep this post short and sweet ~ just like these delightful little muffins. These are flour-less (gluten-free & grain-free), nut free, dairy free, sugar free, and so extremely moist and delicious, when you take a bite you may just be mistaken and think that you are eating cake!Flourless Banana-Coconut Muffins

Dietary Info: GF/DF/NF/SF/PA/V (*see notes at end of post for dietary codes)

Yield: 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 large, ripe bananas
• 2 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1/2 Tbs. natural caramel essence (OR substitute vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp. sweet leaf stevia drops vanilla creme (OR may substitute 4 Tbs. raw honey)
• 1 egg
• 1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 c. coconut flour, sifted
• 1 tsp. guar gum
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• a few dashes of sea salt

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 165C or 325F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas until creamy and smooth, and add remaining liquid ingredients and whisk until well combined.
3. In another mixing bowl, add coconut flakes and sifted coconut flour, guar gum, baking powder and soda and salt. Stir well to combine dry ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated and no lumps.
5. In a non-stick silicon muffin tray, or greased muffin tray, spoon the mixture evenly to fill six muffin cups.
6. Place muffin tray in preheated oven in middle shelf, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean or tops of muffins are slightly golden and firm to touch. I would check after 25 minutes, and if more time is needed add another 5-10 minutes then toothpick check again. You don’t want to bake them too long and dry them out, so just keep an eye on them.
7. Remove from oven, and with a butter knife, carefully run around edges of each muffin to loosen from muffin tin. Set aside and allow muffins to cool completely before removing from muffin tray.
8. Enjoy!

*Notes: A few yummy (but optional) additions are:

1. In a non-stick pan, toast 1 Tbs. of poppy seeds for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned and fragrant. Add to batter before baking for a delicious flavor!
2. Chop some walnuts or pecans and sprinkle on top for a bit of crunch. This will of course, make these not-so-nut free… so depends on your preference and/or dietary requirements.

Nutrition facts per muffin: Calories 220, Fat 14, Carbs 22, Protein 4

Special Dietary Needs:

• Gluten Free/Grain Free = GF

• Dairy Free = DF

• Egg Free = EF

• Nut Free = NF

• Sugar Free = SF

• Paleo Approved = PA

• Vegetarian = V

• Low Carb = LC

The above codes for specific dietary requirements will be found under each recipe title.