Gluten Free Raspberry Lemon Muffins

Lazy Sundays are just the best. My idea of a lazy Sunday would include some (or all) of the following: sleeping in, a trip to the farmer’s market, brunch with friends, watching football (GO HAWKS!) or movies, baking or cooking, a nap, a walk around Greenlake, reading a new novel……I could probably go on and on.

Seattle got a little taste of the fall this weekend with crazy windstorms, rain, and power outages galore. With the weather still crisp this morning, it meant one thing….today was going to be a lazy Sunday:

1. I would take a trip to the farmer’s market all the while sporting tall brown leather boots and a scarf
2. Bake something delicious for the week
3. Snuggle up with a good book and a mug of tea in the afternoon

Knowing that berry season is just about over and Fall is just around the corner, I was inspired to pick up some local raspberries during my trip to the Ballard farmer’s market. However, I knew that I wasn’t looking to add these to yogurt or throw them into a smoothie. No, these raspberries had to be made into something warm and “Fall-like”. Summer berries + Fall inspired food = A delicious berry muffin.

Over the last year, I have been exploring fun ingredient substitutions for my recipes. In this recipe, the subtle nutty flavor and higher protein contents of the almond meal offers a pleasant alternative to classic all-purpose flour. I chose to use yogurt instead of oil/butter, simply because I knew the eggs and almond meal would offer enough fat; while the yogurt would give the desired moisture one looks for in a muffin.

Hope you enjoy! 

RASPBERRY LEMON YOGURT MUFFINS

• Servings: 12
• Time: 30-35mins
• Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond meal/flour
• 3 large eggs
• 6 oz container of plain Greek yogurt (1% or 2%)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place paper muffin liners in a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium to large bowl mix the almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In separate large bowl, whisk the 3 eggs. Add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
4. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Fold the raspberries into the batter, trying not to break the berries.
6. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the muffin pan cups. The batter should be even with the top of the muffin liner.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done baking.
8. Carefully remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.