Grain Free, Sugar Free, Low Carb Orange Muffins

Sorry it's been awhile! My posts will probably slow to about one per week now that the holidays are over and I'm back to my crazy work schedule. This one will be a quickie, but I plan to do a dinner recipe over the weekend, so do not be disheartened.

This tasty recipe was inspired by the orange scones from Panera Bread that I used to love before I went wheat free. I wanted a quick recipe without the need to roll out and cut dough, so I opted for a muffin instead of a scone. These are moist, delicious and very reminiscent of the flavor of those scones I loved so much.

When you make these, be very careful not to open the oven door for the first ten minutes of cook time. Resist the urge, folks! The batter absolutely has to form a baked crust or else you'll risk having inverted muffins-- the ones that don't rise and end up falling in the middle. It won't affect the muffin's taste, but it won't look as nice.

Also, be prepared that grain free muffins simply do not rise as much as their flour-based counterparts. Overfilling them will simply cause that lovely inverted muffin look, so fill them two-thirds of the way and leave it at that. The addition of apple cider vinegar does help the muffins to rise a bit better, though, so you'll be able to get a nice raised top above the lip of the muffin liner.

Grain Free, Sugar Free, Low Carb Orange Muffins 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour 
• 3/4 cup granulated Swerve (or granulated erythritol) 
• 10 drops stevia extract (liquid) 
• 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated palm shortening (I use Spectrum brand) 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar 
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. orange oil (or 3/4 tsp. orange extract)
• 2 T orange zest
• Small shake of cinnamon 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together Swerve, stevia, palm shortening, coconut milk and apple cider vinegar until creamy. Add in eggs and beat until just incorporated.

3. Add in flours, salt, vanilla, orange oil, zest and cinnamon. 

4. Scoop batter into muffin cups until 2/3 full. 

5. Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes or until muffins are ever so slightly golden on top. 

6. Cool completely and then serve.  Makes 12 muffins. 

Nutrition (per muffin, 1/12 recipe): 

105 calories, 2 grams of net carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat