A lot of people believe that when you start to remove allergens from food, you also remove the flavor and quality. This is definitely not the case with these FLAVOR-PACKED Cinnamon Raisin Date Muffins!!!
My inspiration for this recipe was to try to create a healthy dessert that EVERYONE in the family could enjoy. I have a family member who was recently told by her doctor that she needs to avoid refined sugar. She also has many other food allergies (as do I!) so I created this recipe to suit both of our needs.
It’s hard to make a dessert without adding sugar, but I had recently seen an episode of The Kitchen on the Food Network where a health specialist used dates to sweeten her dessert instead of using sugar. I decided to give it a try.
My original plan was to grind up the dates in a food processor until they formed a paste, and then I would swirl it in to the batter of my muffins. Well, they were a bit too sticky for that, and I quickly realized that I would need to add some liquid to the dates in order to make a paste.
I decided to combine them with orange juice, which created a DELICIOUS flavor combination! (You can use fresh squeezed if you want to, but the orange juice that we buy to drink is 100% juice with no sugar added, so I just used that.)
I ended up mixing the date paste completely into the batter instead of just swirling it through. That way, every bite of the muffin had just as much flavor as the next. I think it was a good call.
A FEW TIPS WHEN MAKING THIS RECIPE:
- DO NOT USE CUPCAKE WRAPPERS!!! I tried that on my first attempt (as pictured above) and the muffins stuck to the wrappers like crazy! Instead, just grease your muffin tins and pour the batter directly into them.
- DO NOT OVER-BAKE THESE as they will become dry. Now, you do want to make sure that they cook through because this recipe contains eggs, but make sure you watch them, and don’t let them go too long.
- I LIKE TO POUR MY BATTER INTO A LARGE ZIPLOC BAG, seal it, snip the corner off and use it like a pastry bag to squeeze the batter into the muffin tins. It helps me to go faster without making a big mess and dripping everywhere.
As I mentioned before, I wanted this recipe to be a super healthy snack that I can feel good about eating and feeding to my kids everyday if we want. That’s why I did not add oil or butter to the recipe. If you find that you would like the muffins to have more moisture, however, just add some oil or butter to your batter before baking.
I prefer to spread my dairy-free margarine on top of the muffin as I’m eating it. SOOOOO YUMMY!!!!! 😄
As with all gluten-free products, the texture is best when eaten warm. These should keep in an airtight container or bag for 2-3 days at room temperature. After that, I would refrigerate or freeze them, and just warm them up in the microwave when you are ready to enjoy them.
Personally, I like to keep my freezer stocked up with these things! And once you taste them, I bet you will, too! Here’s the recipe:
These muffins may be missing common allergens, but there is definitely no lack of flavor!!!
- 2 & 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.)
- 1 &1/2 tsp. baking powder (Aluminum-free)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups ricemilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 10 Medjool dates (pitted and halved or quartered)
- 1/2 cup orange juice (no sugar added bottled juice or fresh squeezed)
- 1 & 1/2 cups raisins
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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Grease muffin tins with margarine, cooking spray or canola oil.
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In a large bowl, mix together all of your dry ingredients.
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In a food processor, combine the pitted dates and orange juice until smooth.
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Mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to your dry ingredients and stir to combine.
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Mix the date paste into the batter to combine.
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Fold in the raisins.
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Fill your GREASED muffin tins 3/4 of the way full with your batter.
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Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE!
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Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes or so before removing from the pan and setting on a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
If you have any questions or comments for me, I would love to hear them! Feel free to email me anytime at anne@blessingsinsurprise.com 😊