Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

I haven't posted a muffin recipe in awhile which is shocking.  I make so many muffins one would think this blog would be littered with them!  Anyway, today I want to share a recipe for lemon chia seed muffins that I recently made and have been eating a lot for breakfast.  These muffins are made with coconut flour and are are my play on the classic lemon poppyseed combination.  Late in December I posted about lemon chia seed scones made with oat flour that are extremely tasty.  I decided to morph that recipe into muffin form with the goal of making a cake-like muffin reminiscent of lemon poppyseed pound cake.

These muffins came out perfect.  They have a light, airy texture thanks to the coconut flour and the perfect lemon flavor.  I use a combination of honey and fresh squeezed orange juice to sweeten them, giving them a zesty citrus flavor that is truly delightful.  These muffin's cake-like consistency is amazing with a cup of coffee in the morning.  What makes them even better is they are actually healthy!  They are packed with wholesome ingredients that will fuel your day and satisfy your sweet tooth :)

When baking with 100% coconut flour, you need to use a lot of eggs to get the batter to bind and rise.  I mean a lot.  I was not thrilled about using upwards of 6 eggs to make 9 muffins, so I decided to try and sub half the eggs with flax eggs.  It worked perfectly!  If you want you can use all regular eggs, however I think that is a waste of eggs.  Also, using some flax-eggs adds additional health benefits including fiber, omega 3s, and lignans which help prevent cancer.  I don't like to pass up an opportunity to expand the nutritional profile of my recipes!

Make these muffins for a fast on-the-go breakfast that is healthy and delicious.  They also are also a great afternoon snack that is extremely portable and bound to curb your appetite until dinner.  What I love about muffins is you can freeze them so they last longer, and they are easily reheated when needed.  I often keep three different types of muffins in my freezer so I am ready for whenever a muffin craving hits!  Hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I do :)


Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
dairy-free, gluten-free

yield: 9 muffins

1/2 cup coconut flour
3 Tbsps chia seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsps ground flax-seeds + 6 Tbsp water
3 organic, free-range eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsps fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
zest of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a muffin pan with 9 liners.
2.  In a medium bowl, mix ground flax-seeds and water well and let sit to gel.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, chia seeds, salt, and baking soda.
3.  Beat eggs with flax-eggs.  Add honey, coconut oil, lemon juice, orange juice, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.  Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.  Stir in apple cider vinegar.
4.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.  I used a 1/4 cup muffin scoop for this step.  You should get 9 muffins from the batter.  Bake in preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.