Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins

Moist- full of fiber from carrots, apples and raisins!  Perfect for breakfast, snacks or dessert.  Make sure to check out my notes at the end for suggestions.

Morning Glory Muffins
adapted from Paleo Comfort Foods

2-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded carrots (about one bag of carrots depending on thickness), grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup toasted coconut (adds nutty-ness)
3 large eggs (organic-omega-3)
1/2 cup organic liquid egg whites
2 Tbsp. honey
1/3 cup coconut oil (....see notes)
1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line standard size muffin tin.  I needed to line 20...depending on your 'scoop size'.
2.  Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple coconut and raisins and combine well.
3.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs, egg whites, honey, oil and vanilla  together.
4.  Pour the wet over the dry and mix well.  Batter will be thick.
5.  Using an ice cream scoop place batter into lined muffin tin(s).
6.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.
7.  Cool muffins for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Baker's Notes:

1.  I use Honeyville Almond flour from Amazon.com.  It is $36 for a 5 lb. bag.  Best bargain and works best than others I have used.
2.  I am not too fond of coconut oil that tastes like coconut.  It's too much or may be disconcerting to eat sauteed mushrooms that taste like coconut....ugh.  I prefer Spectrum.
3.  In using the organic coconut, I like the flakes over the finely grated.  This adds to the muffins giving it more chewiness as you would get from oatmeal (not used here).  Toasting will tone down the coconut flavor....giving it a subtle undertone.
4.  Go honey, don't substitute stevia for I find it will give a funny after taste.  Think about it....2 Tbsp of honey divided amongst 20 or so muffins?  That is about 1/2 tsp per muffin...not bad for sugar.  I love how these are lightly sweet not like I am eating cake.
5.  Although fat is not the enemy in the Paleo lifestyle, the recipe originally called for 1/2 cup coconut oil.  When peeling off the muffin papers, they absorbed alot of the oil.  What is the point for so much oil if it's only going to leech into the papers, right? I suggest 1/3 cup over using 1/2 cup.  For the muffins still stuck a bit to the papers.

Enjoy!