Soft and crumbly, strawberry muffins are always a great way to say goodbye to Summer or hello to Spring. Topped with a sliced strawberry heart shape and a light golden crust, you and anyone you make these for would never guess these deliciously moist muffins are gluten-free.

          The best part about these cute desserts? With less than 10 ingredients and little prep necessary, you can enjoy these treats right after they come out of the oven. In fact, these muffins are best served day-of or stored in an airtight container for 3 days. As well as, with the little heart topped on each muffin, they make a perfect valentine’s day bake, anniversary celebration, or just to show someone some appreciation. 

         Additionally, we wanted to make these strawberry muffins enjoyable by many. That’s why we chose the baking flour alternative of coconut flour. Coconut flour is gluten-free and LOW CARB. Breathing new flavor depth into this recipe while not taking away from refreshing flavor of the strawberries. Not to mention the array of added health benefits your body gets just from this simple alternative. 

Tips & Facts

If you are unfamiliar with coconut flour and don’t know where to start, here are some quick tips and facts to help with your baking:

• When using coconut flour as a wheat substitute it is recommend to use ¼ cup of coconut flour for every cup of wheat flour, as well as 1 egg (or egg replacer) to help baked goods hold shape. 
• Due to the nature of coconut flour being light and fluffy, it is also highly absorbent. Moreover, when using it in any recipe (substitute or not) it’s recommend to use extra liquid or egg to help baked goods bind together easier.   
• Coconut flour is LOW CARB! A single 2 Tbsp serving has 4g of dietary fiber (14 percent DV), 2g of protein, and only 8g of carbohydrates (3 percent DV). Furthermore, it has a lower glycemic index than wheat flour and it’s rich fiber density helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Lastly, these muffins are:

• Gluten free
• Low carb
• Low sugar

Strawberry Heart Muffins

Prep Time: 15 min
Freeze Time: 20 min
Total Time: 35 min

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease muffin cups with butter.
2. Slice strawberries into small slivers from top to bottom.
3. Whisk together coconut flour, baking powder, brown or coconut sugar, and salt until well combined.
4. Mix eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extracts until well combined.
5. Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined into a smooth even batter. Next, gently fold in strawberries making sure to save some for the top of each muffin.
6. Scoop batter into muffin cups filling each up about halfway.
7. Carefully place a sliced heart strawberry on each muffin cup. 
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes.
9. Sprinkle a little brown sugar or coconut sugar on top of muffins.
10. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin cups.
11. Enjoy!

 

Nutrition:
Calories 112 | Fat 8.1g | Cholesterol 97mg | Sodium 172mg | Carbohydrates 7.5g | Fiber .15g | Sugars 6.7g | Protein 3g | Potassium 79mg | Vitamin D 12mcg