The kiddo said to me this weekend, “Mom, we need more treats in the house.” I guess he meant besides the Coco-Nutty Truffles he’s been scarfing down whilst making Homer Simpson-esque drool noises.
He’s in another growth spurt. That means he’s eating non-stop. Non. Stop.
So, treat-baking shall commence.
I first saw a non-vegan version of this recipe posted on Facebook by Shirley of Gluten-Free Easily. It’s from Allergy Free Alaska, but it’s a guest post by Laura of Laura’s Gluten-Free Pantry. Did you follow all that? This gluten-free blogger community – it’s intertwined.
Anyway, I had ripe bananas screaming to baked, and I’ve been trying forever and a day to come up with a decent grain-free & vegan muffin recipe. With only 1 egg and some honey to swap out of Laura’s recipe, I thought – this is it!
And yep, it IS it. A grain-free, vegan muffin that didn’t collapse in the middle? Oh yes, please. The kiddo (with mouth full) proclaimed them blog-worthy, so blog them I shall.
Grain-Free, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Grain-Free, Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Laura’s Gluten-Free Pantry.
Wet Ingredients
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup (56 g) melted coconut oil
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1 t. vanilla
1 T. psyllium husks (not powder) mixed with 3 T. hot water
Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup (60 g) flaxseed meal
1/2 cup (70 g) arrowroot starch
1 1/2 cups (160 g) blanched almond flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Mix-in
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl, beat the wet ingredients together until completely blended. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat with electric beaters for about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips. Portion batter into 12 muffin cups evenly. (Cups will be about 3/4 full.)
Bake for 25 minutes, rotating once during baking. Cool for 10 minutes in tins. Remove and allow to cool on wire racks.
Laura also happens to be one of the hostesses for Allergy Free Wednesdays – a great link up to find all sorts of allergy-friendly recipes.
For more slightly indulgent recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.
For more healthy vegan recipes, check out Wellness Weekends.
The Mommy Bowl 
I love the intertwining of our community! One good idea leads to another! 🙂 These look wonderful, Deanna. Another advantage of vegan baking, even for those who freely use eggs, is that one can make the recipe when one is out of eggs. I was in an eggless state when I made your Snickerdoodles again yesterday, and we still ended up with totally delicious cookies! I’m totally on board with psyllium husks and powder now. 😉
Shirley
Isn’t psyllium great? I read on Mark’s Daily Apple that the husks aren’t very easy on the digestive system and that getting ground psyllium seed is better for you. I’ve not seen that anywhere locally, so I may have to order some to see how it works as an egg replacer. Apparently, it’s a pre-biotic and does all sorts of good things for you. Who knew?
How interesting, Deanna. I missed that info on Mark’s Daily Apple. It’s kind of surprising in a way because the husks are so small, it hardly seems possible that they could cause issues, but it’s interesting that psyllium is, uh, “used” in this area. I admit that the smell of psyllium does take me back to my gluten-full days if you know what I mean. Oh, and I didn’t know about it being a prebiotic either. That’s a good thing. 🙂
Shirley
Here’s the link with his explanation. Re-reading it, I guess he doesn’t actually say the husks do anything _bad_, but that they’re “Not primal.” I’m not primal, so I don’t really care about that. But, it does still sound like the seed powder has more benefits.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-it-primal-paleo-bread-braggs-liquid-aminos-psyllium-fiber-and-other-foods-scrutinized/#axzz270HPSug3
The kiddo really knows all.
These are my husband Tony’s favorite kind of muffin – the more chocolate chips the better.
The kiddo’s too. How can you go wrong with banana and chocolate chips?
Hi Deanna,
I am so glad you liked the muffins and adapted them to be vegan! I am so grateful for the wonderful gluten-free blogger community.
Me too, Laura! I think it’s great that the gluten-free community is so open and sharing. Thanks for the great inspiration!
Me too, Laura. And what a great adaption. Well done Deanna. 🙂
Hugs Friend,
–Amber
I cannot wait to try this recipe.
I just found your bold through another bog. I am wondering where you find psyllium husks. i can find the powder fairly easily, but psyllium husks not so much. Where did you buy these? Thanks from a newbie.
Hi Sarah,
I get them in the “digestive health” section of my local mega grocery store. But, if you can find the powder, I think you’re okay. 1 T. of husks is about equal to 1 t. of powder. It would at least be worth an experiment. Good luck!
I’ve been making these for over 6 months now and my carnivore hubby and son LOVE these!! I started adding walnuts as well. I’ll put in a heaping 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and then a measured out 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.
Anyway, here’s my issue. I have way too ripe bananas ready for the making and I’ve run out of arrowroot. I have some in the freezer, but I broke the lock, so I can’t get to it right now. None of my local grocers carried it. I have tapioca, corn and potato starch on hand. Which would work best in this situation?
I’m so glad you’re liking them! Arrowroot works a little bit differently than some of the other starches. It holds a lot more moisture than tapioca. That being said, I _think_ you could get by with any of them. I guess I’d lean towards potato, as it also holds a lot of moisture. I’ve never done any baking with corn starch. The last time I swapped in arrowroot for tapioca in one of my regular recipes, it turned out fairly gummy. So, if you use tapioca, they might be a bit drier than normal. I wouldn’t sweat it, though. They’ll be edible no matter which starch you use. 🙂
Let me know which way you end up going!