Grain-free, dairy-free paleo strawberry muffins made with almond flour. These coconut sugar-sweetened gluten-free muffins are moist, fluffy, and you’d never know they’re paleo!
Hey momma!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Every year, I look forward to writing you these letters. Truthfully, after my bold confessions in my Gluten-Free Banana Walnut Muffins, Chocolate Beet Muffins, and Paleo Blueberry Muffins posts from years past, I wasn’t quite sure what sort of big confession to lay on you this year. You see, I’ve been feeling verbally constipated lately, but when I sat down to write this post, not many words came to the forefront of my mind, except this one: tradition.
Specifically, how traditions can make tumultuous times feel far more stable. Like little event rocks for our souls, grounding us, bringing us fully present, reminding us what’s important. That’s what traditions do…they give us something to look forward to, connect us to the humans that mean the most, forge strength even when we’re at our weakest.
These letters to you on Mother’s Day have become a comforting tradition for me. Just like the traditions you created for our family that brought us all together time and again. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the value of traditions more and more. I admit, when I was younger I took them for granted, but in my ripe age of 31, I find them to be increasingly important.
As one of your personal mantras go, it’s the small things in life that really matter. Like the tradition of getting together on Mother’s Day for a BBQ. Like making dinner together, baking cookies together, weekend pancakes, going for walks, talking lots of shit, and summer picnics.
You’re a champ at the little things like prioritizing traditions. I haven’t yet told you this, but the fact you text me when you’re planning to make one of my recipes, or send a photo after you’ve made one means the world to me. It’s the little things that matter.
Like making me laugh at myself and always managing to remind me during my tough times things could always be worse. Like taking the time to give me some perspective, an ear for listening, or just your presence. Like allowing me to be a broken record for the thousandth the thousandth time the thousandth time the thousandth the thousandth the thousandth time time. Time.
You’ve always been my superhero and always will be.
Mom, deez muffs…
I think you’ll like them!
They have a bit of citrusy zest, are studded with fresh strawberries, are the perfect companion to melted butter, and you’d never know they were gluten-free, much less grain-free. They’re light and airy, yet moist…they are basically a perfect example of what a Mother’s Day muffin should be. I think you’ll appreciate the orange zest the most.
Let’s keep our traditions alive (including this one right heeyah) and continue making new traditions.
See you soon at the family Q.
With all my love,
Julia
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup fresh strawberries chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil or spray a muffin tray (note: you can also use muffin cup papers)
Add all ingredients except the strawberries to a blender and blend until smooth. Fold in the strawberries until well combined (you can also beat the ingredients together in a bowl with a hand mixer). Pour muffin batter into the prepared muffin tray, filling the holes 3/4 of the way up. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until tops are golden-brown. Turn off the oven and allow muffins to sit in the warm oven 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow muffins to cool at least 30 minutes (if you don't allow muffins to cool all the way, they will stick to the pan or muffin cups).
To my daughter, who is eloquent even when she is at a loss for words, thank you! I love these letters and they never fail to make me cry. Thank you for the moment, the memories, and the overwhelming feeling of love! What a wonderful way to start this day….and I am making these yummy muffins!
Love you to the moon and back, momma! xoxoxo
These look delicious!! I cannot wait to try them Happy Mother’s Day !!!
Hi Karen! Happy Mother’s Day to you too! I hope you had a good one, and hope you enjoy the muffins! xo
I love muffins with almond flour!! Excited to try this strawberry version 🙂
Hope you love them, Brittany!
I’ve been baking an almond loaf the past 2 weeks and am in love with it…I’m enjoying this gluten-free baking thing lately! These muffins are next on my list — love the spring and summer flair!
It’s not Mother’s Day here in the UK but I made them anyway! Really delicious thankyou – will definitely make them again.
I don’t have tapioca flour… is there anything else I can use to substitute?
Hi Deb, you can use arrowroot flour or rice flour, or more almond flour. If you use rice flour or almond flour to replace it, the muffins will not hold together as well as if you use arrowroot, but they will still be mighty tasty xo
These are in the oven right now and they smell delicious. However, they were not pouring consistency in the blender.
Hi Tina, I hope your muffins turned out well! I find my grain-free batters tend to be pretty thick, but ultimately they work out to be perfectly moist and textured 😀 Hope you enjoy!