Wheat Free Morning Glory Muffins

I visit Peet's Coffee more than I care to admit. And I also eat their baked good more than I should. Recently, I've been digging their morning glory muffins. They are listed as gluten-free, which is fine, but not particularly important to me. The funny thing is, their strange chewy texture has grown on me. So while wheat and I are still good friends, I decided to pick up some rice flour in order to try to recreate the muffins at home.

 

I searched high and low (or on Pinterest and Google) for a recipe that had all the ingredients I was sure were in my beloved muffins. Nothing was quite right! So I threw caution to the wind and frankensteined some recipes together to create what I thought would be the perfect copycat muffin recipe.

Sadly, these are not exactly like the muffin I was hoping for. The good news? They are still really yummy! Where I expected a dense, gummy muffin (I know, I'm weird!) I ended up with a fluffy muffin! I'm suspect it's the eggs. Any guesses? Thanfully, the spice and the crunchy carrot and coconut, and sweet pineapple bits were all on point. Hooray for that.

So while I continue my search for the perfect reproduction, we can all enjoy this happy accident. And of course this can be made regular flour also. I couldn't tell the difference.

Wheat Free Morning Glory Muffins
adapted from the interwebs

   * 4 large carrots, shredded (or 2 cups)
   * 8 oz can of crushed pineapple (drained)
   * 1/2 cup raw shredded coconut
   * 2 1/4 cups brown rice flour
   * 1 cup sugar (I used a combo of brown and white)
   * 1/2 canola oil
   * 3 large eggs
   * 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or some combo of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon)
   * 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
   * 1/2 tsp baking powder
   * 1 tsp vanilla extract
   * 1/2 tsp salt
   * 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix dry ingredient. Mix wet ingredients. Mix together. Mix in carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Fill muffin tins. Sprinkle each one with sunflower seeds. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until they are done. Store in an airtight container. (I didn't and they weren't slightly drier on day 2, but still tasty.)

Bon appetite!