Happy Mother’s Day!… GF Blueberry Teff Muffins

Happy Mother’s Day!  To all you mom’s out there, all you do is so worth it!!  This job of “mothering” is the most demanding thing that I have ever done.  At times, I want to jump ship and declare it all “someone else’s duty”… but then there are the little moments that remind me I was given the role of mother to these children.  Yes, God GAVE them to just ME.  He knows your in’s and out’s, up’s and down’s and He alone designed YOU for YOUR kids.

I have said it before, I learned about being a mom from the Best Mom on the planet… my own!  I see so very clearly that God made me to be her child as well as my children were made to be mine and I theirs.  I know many great moms and see in them the same fingerprints of God’s planning through their kids.

So, take a moment to make something great for your kids and then take the rest of the day to enjoy it with them.  I would be perfectly happy eating these gluten free blueberry teff muffins for every meal today!  Sometimes, we just need to get down to simplicity and get away from the grind of every day.  Really, find joy in this task of being a mom… at the end of it all, I know we will not regret it!

Gluten Free Blueberry Teff Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Teff flour (I traditionally only find dark teff)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch flour
• 1 Tbls ground flax seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup orange or pineapple juice (if you prefer, you can substitute a non-dairy milk such as plain coconut milk or rice milk)
• 1/4 cup mashed ripe pears (or apple sauce)
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or grape seed oil
• 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 1/2 to 1 cup blueberries

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.  Set aside.  Measure out your blueberries.  You can use fresh or frozen.  If using fresh, blueberries… wash and remove any stems, then drain in a colander and set aside.  If using frozen, blueberries… measure out the amount you are going to use and keep them aside IN THE FREEZER.  Just make sure the blueberries are the very LAST thing you add to the batter!  Note: frozen blueberries may increase the baking time of your muffins.  I use the smaller wild blueberries which give a great flavor.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add all the liquid ingredients to the large mixing bowl.  Mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir on slow speed until the batter begins to stiffen a bit.  This should be like any other muffin batter, not too wet but not too stiff.  If it is too stiff, slowly add a little more juice or non-dairy milk until the batter is the right consistency.
5. Once the batter is ready, remove the bowl from the stand and gently fold the blueberries into the batter with a spatula.
6. Quickly fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.  Using an ice cream scoop makes this fast work!  You will get about 8 muffins with this recipe.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.  Check for doneness as the muffins should feel firm and have a light spring back when ready to be removed from the oven.  Don’t leave them in too long as the bottoms may burn.
8. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove from the muffin tin to cool completely.

Enjoy!