Enjoying Gluten-Free Life

A Nutty Holiday Recipe and Giveaway 

The giveaway is now closed. The winners are Cathy, Carol and Anna. Thank you all for entering!

I created a great mini muffin recipe for Bob’s Red Mill’s blog. I’d love for you to check it out. In honor of the recipe, Bob’s Red Mill has offered to give three of my readers one package each of their Hazelnut Meal. I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the nut flour and think you’ll have fun playing with it too. As is typical with nut flours, it’s pricier than something like rice flour so the winners will enjoy the treat of testing it for free

Details of the giveaway:

Bob’s Red Mill will send three winners one 14-ounce package of hazelnut flour. To enter, please comment telling me what you’d like to try making with hazelnut flour - cookies, muffins, something savory like a coating for chicken breasts (might have to try that myself), or perhaps some sweet little mini muffins. For additional entries, subscribe to Enjoying Gluten-Free Life and/or “like” the blog’s Facebook page – or tell me if you already have. Make one comment for each for a total of three comments.

The giveaway ends the night of December 14, 2012, midnight Eastern time zone, and is open to those in the United States.

Update: A blog software upgrade in December inexplicably deleted all comments that month. Thank you to those who entered. I’m sorry all of those entries vanished in cyber space.

Tropical Escape Mini Muffins

1 ½ cups Hazelnut Meal/Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Sea Salt
3 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
1 medium Banana, well mashed (approx. 105 grams)
1/3 cup + 3 Tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
8 oz. can Crushed Pineapple, drained
½ cup Dates, chopped and packed in cup (approx. 90 grams)

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line mini muffin pan with muffin wrappers.

Step 2:
Mix flour, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 3:
In a large bowl, beat the egg, vanilla, banana and coconut oil several minutes, until frothy. Press the remaining liquid out of the pineapple (you want the flavor not the liquid) then add it and 1/3 cup coconut to the liquids.

Step 4:
Press the remaining liquid out of the pineapple (you want the flavor not the liquid) then add it and 1/3 cup coconut to the liquids. If using a stand mixer, mix to combine using it. If using a hand mixer, switch to a spoon to stir here and in Step 5.

Step 5:
Chop the dates finely so that their sweetness will be evenly spread through the muffins, then add them to the dry mixture. Using clean hands, break up the dates and mix them thoroughly with the flour. Add the dry mixture to the wet and mix just to combine.

Step 6:
Fill mini muffin cups about ¾ full and sprinkle the remaining three tablespoons of coconut over the tops. Bake about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 32 mini muffins.