Happy new year to all my fellow food lovers and dear readers of Cin Cin, Let’s Eat!

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2014.

In search of gluten-free baking, I came across this awesome blog that has some very creative and yummy recipes not only for gluten-free, but for dairy-free and refined sugar-free as well. I’m not allergic to gluten, but have been suggested that it may be the cause of my eczema flare-ups. It’s not scientifically proven but I saw no harm in trying to eat less gluten in my diet. I absolutely adore this recipe and have been making these little loaves for breakfast and energy refuel snack. While each yummy loaf is filled with ingredients that are good for you, I don’t know the exact amount of calories of each loaf but it’s definitely not on the low side. That’s why I like to make them in muffin tins instead of rectangular loaf, as the size is perfectly filling for me. Coconut flour is also a new discovery for me, it’s a bit more expensive but a little goes a long way. I especially love the subtle hint of toasty coconut that it adds to the flavor profile.

I have adjusted the recipe’s bake time to using a 12-cup muffin pan. Another adjustment was the amount of salt. I personally loved the balance between the saltiness from the sea salt and the sweetness from the other ingredients, but the hubby thought it was too salty for his taste so I reduced the salt for this recipe.

Grain-free Banana Coconut Mini-Loaves
[Gluten-free, Dairy-free + Refined Sugar-free]

makes 10-12 muffin-sized loaf

recipe adapted from Tasty Yummies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut, saving a small amount for the top of the loaves
• 2-3 large ripe bananas, mashed to about 1.5 cups
• 4 extra-large local farm fresh brown eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line the muffin tin with liners or parchment paper.
• In a large bowl combine the almond and coconut flours with baking soda, sea salt and shredded coconut. In a small bowl combine the eggs with the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and the mashed bananas, whisk until very well combined.
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix well until fully incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, smooth it out a bit with a spatula and sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top of each loaf.
• Bake for about 22 minutes. Test with a tooth-pick for doneness. Remove loaves from oven, let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Notes:

• I ran out of cupcake/muffin liners so I cut out squares of parchment paper and press them into each slot.
• The first batch I made yielded only 10 muffin-size loaves. I might have put too much in each slot. All the following batch I was able to divide the batter evenly and filled all 12.

Very moist and flavorful loaf. If you like a bit more crunch, add in some crushed nuts or maybe top with some roasted coconut flakes.