Cornmeal makes the texture of these muffins so enjoyable, and the pairing of the subtle lemon flavour and the bright blueberries makes this recipe a real winner. As a bonus, these muffins are lightly sweetened, so if you omit the lemon and blueberries, you will have a simple cornbread muffin that goes great alongside your favourite veggie chili or stew.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup rice milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, tossed lightly in flour
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray each muffin cup with canola oil.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, then add the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Whisk thoroughly. In a medium bowl, mix together the applesauce, oil, milk, and vanilla and lemon extracts. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well using a spatula. Fold in the blueberries, being careful not to overmix or crush the berries, as they will turn the batter grey. Tossing them in a bit of flour first helps prevent them from discolouring the batter, plus it gives the blueberries a bit of grip so they don’t all sink to the bottom.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups to about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
