Some time ago (weeks, months, who knows), I ordered a bag of coconut flour.
{I chose Bob’s Red Mill because I trust their products.}
From their site: “Coconut Flour is a delicious, healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours. It is very high in fiber, low in digestible carbohydrates, a good source of protein and gluten free. It lends baked goods an incomparably rich texture and a unique, natural sweetness. You can replace up to 20% of the flour called for in a recipe with Coconut Flour, adding an equivalent amount of additional liquid to the recipe.”
Clearly, I needed this is my life. It didn’t help that I was drooling over all of Lisa's recipes (hello, coconut flour flatbread) and a certain protein muffin by these ladies.
My first experience? Total fail.
So, I thought I could experiment with coconut flour on my own without a recipe. Hey, it worked with chickpea flour! But I’m not a baker, so I have no idea why I was confident in my ability to create a recipe. Ha!
With my unfounded confidence, I attempted to make a batch of pumpkin protein bars (which I have made before) using only coconut flour. I subbed out coconut flour for whole wheat flour without adjusting any other ingredients. I assume that I should’ve compensated with more liquid (or eggs) because they turned out dry and crumbly.
They went straight outside. I always throw food into the woods in my backyard – if it’s biodegradable, then I skip the garbage. We probably feed several raccoon families with our food scraps. I’m sure they thought the coconut flour was pretty exotic!
My second experience? Delicious.
This time I followed Maria’s recipe exactly. It was hard for me to completely follow a recipe because I’m always substituting and changing things up, but I am SO glad I did. Seriously, these muffins are a must try.
So how about that third experience? Another winner.
This time, I used a recipe as a base and then experimented a bit with the flavors and ingredients. When working with a new ingredient, this is the way to go—which I realized through trial and error.
Cherry Lime Coconut Flour Muffins
- 1/2 C. coconut flour
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 C. fresh cherries (pitted and sliced)
- 2 T. fresh lime juice
- 2 T. melted coconut oil
- 1 T. liquid stevia
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/8 t. sea salt
- 1/2 t. baking powder
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Scoop into a greased muffin tin (or muffin liners). Top with extra cherry slices and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
These came out dense and delicious.
They weren’t fluffy like regular muffins – but the flavors were spot on!
I guess the third (and second) times the charm.
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