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These muffins are lovely for anyone looking for an Autoimmune Protocol elimination-phase friendly treat! The blend of cassava and coconut flours produce a just-crumbly-enough texture that is so hard to get in AIP baked goods, plus the avocado oil ensures they stay soft and fresh-tasting for a few days. Enjoy!
Cranberry Dream Muffins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Mickey Trescott
Serves: 6 muffins
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cassava flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup cold water
- ½ cup fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (or line w/ paper cups) 6 slots of a standard muffin tin and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the cassava flour, coconut sugar, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the avocado oil, lemon juice, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add to the dry mixture, give it a little stir, and then add the cold water, using a spatula to stir only until the mixture is combined. Your batter will be much thicker and less wet than conventional muffin batter. Fold in the cranberries and coconut flakes.
- Use a spoon to fill each cup to the top (even heaping a little) with batter. These muffins don't rise much, so you can fill them more than usual (alternatively, if you want smaller muffins, you can make 9 instead of 6). Sprinkle with a little sea salt and coconut flakes for garnish, if desired.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned on the tops and a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool fully to develop the right texture. Can be reheated or enjoyed at room temperature.
Notes
Because of the avocado oil in this recipe these muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, just make sure they are fully cooled before sealing up.
53 comments
I will definitely try them this weekend. Can i use other oil than avocado i don’t like strong taste of it.
Hi Lucy! You can sub a mild-flavored olive oil for the avocado oil.
Do you think this could work with blueberries?
Heather – absolutely!
Hi. I’m new to AIP and am a little confused. I thought coconut sugar was a no go. I also note in the allowed foods that dried fruit is allowed, and I thought it was a no go also. Would love some feedback. Thank you .
Hi Shar! AIP is not a sugar-free protocol, it is allowed in moderation. Coconut sugar and dried fruit are allowed if you tolerate them. Hope it helps!
Hi Shar! Coconut sugar and dried fruit are allowed in the elimination phase of AIP. Hope it helps!
I can’t find the nutritional information for this recipe. Can you share it?
Hi Sara! We don’t provide nutritional information for any of our recipes, but you can easily plug the ingredients into a tracker if you need that info.
Our daughter has type 1 diabetes (as well as Hashimoto’s) so we use erythritol or stevia in lieu of any type of sweetener. What are your thoughts on these? Those muffins look delicious and I’m wondering if I can switch out the coconut sugar for Thrive.
Hi Chastity! I have not tried this recipe with sweetener replacements and can’t guarantee it will work out. In general, I don’t recommend sugar subs but I understand why you may need to use them for your daughter – The Paleo Mom has a great article on the topic here: https://www.thepaleomom.com/paleo-splenda-erythritol-stevia-low-calorie-sweeteners/
I made them (I’m celiac) and really like them — actually, I tripled the recipe since I can’t go to all the effort for just 6 muffins. Yes, I shared my muffins with my extended family as well as a celiac friend of mine. They have a unique flavor. Yes, a little soft like gluten free baked goods; but if you bake them the full time (35 minutes), they are firm and stick together nicely.
I want to make these again but with more cranberries. Did you try more cranberries when you were testing your recipe? That little tart burst is wonderful. I will be making these again — very good. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Sharon! Thanks for the feedback, I’m glad you enjoyed them! I do think you can up the cranberries, but don’t go too crazy as they can make them come out too doughy and soft in spots. Let me know how it works out for you!
Hi Mickey,
I can’t tolerate cassava or coconut… any suggestions on how I can make this recipe?
Hi Kate-Anne! I recommend finding another recipe. I have lots without coconut or cassava in the archives.
Hi Mickey– These look delicious!
Do you think I could sub MCT oil or warmed-up coconut oil for the avocado oil? I don’t love the taste of avocado oil (so I don’t buy it) and I only use pretty green-tasting strong olive oil, so I can’t sub that. Also– does the type of oil used in baking determine how long it stays fresh? It seems like you are suggesting that in the post, and I’m curious.
Thanks so much– you are such a help on my journey to health <3
Hi Shannon! Coconut oil will not work, the only oil replacement I suggest is olive. Sorry! And yes, the muffins stay moist (not fresh) longer because I use liquid fat in the recipe. Hope it helps!
[…] Cranberry Dream Muffins from Autoimmune Wellness *Plan on baking this weekend? Mickey uses two AIP flours to master that crumbly texture. […]
I made these this morning and the flavor was wonderful. I had a bit of technical difficulty with the muffins being very crumbly . When I cut it in half after it was cooled it just fell apart. Followed the recipe exactly, looking to perfect the next time? What may be the cause of a drier than expected texture? I baked it for 32 minutes. Thank you, I love your recipes. I’m 8 weeks in to my AIP journey and feel better than I have for more years than I can count!
Hi Kelly! I’m happy you enjoyed them! The muffins are on the crumbly side, but they should stay together. Do you know if your oven cooks at the correct temperature? My guess is that you should have been done at 30 minutes, or your oven may be cooking a little hot. Good luck!
Sounds good can you sub tapioca flour or green banana flour for cassava flour (can’t get hold of any atm)? thank you
Hi Tori! I don’t recommend any flour substitutes for this recipe. Sorry!
I made these yesterday, such a great flavor!! Was so disappointed though because they didn’t stick together at all. Definitely couldn’t pick them, had to use a spoon to eat them – was sort of like a crumble. The only changes I made were that I used blueberries instead of cranberries and about 1/3 c coco sugar instead of 1/2 c. Cooked them for 35 min and let them cool for many hours. Any ideas why they wouldn’t stick together?
Hi Lori! It sounds like you cooked them too long, or your oven may be cooking too hot. I would try again and see how they look at 25 mins, or use an oven thermometer to see what temp your oven is cooking at. Hope they come out next time!
Hi. I keep having the same problem with cassava flour in general. The dough is never like a batter. It is always crumbly as if I had beat just butter into the flour. I cannot pour it into muffin pans or onto a griddle if making pancakes. For these muffins in particular I had to scoop into my hands and smash it together then set it into the pan because it still wanted to fall apart. I cannot figure out why I seem to be one of the very few having this issue. I follow the instructions to the letter. Hoping you can tell me what I need to do fix this! Thanks!
Hi Ashley! What brand of cassava flour are you using? I always use Otto’s Cassava Flour, which I have found to be incredibly consistent and a fine grind, which is great for baking. There may be some brands out there that don’t have the same quality. I also think you might be expecting too much from the consistency of the batter – it isn’t liquid and pourable. I need to spoon these into my muffin tins. Hope it helps!
I’m having trouble finding cassava flour can this be replaced arrowroot or tapioca?
Hi Carley! Unfortunately I don’t recommend substitutions for this recipe. Your best bet is to find an AIP muffin recipe that doesn’t use cassava as the base. I know they are out there!
Hi Mickey, thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out well though I used frozen cranberries. Will definitely make again and share with others too!
I’m glad you loved them Rebecca!
Can I freeze these muffins?
Mary, I don’t see why not, but I haven’t done it personally. Will you report back if you try it?
Freezing is great and they also hold together a little better. I keep them in the refrigerator and hubs eats one every morning. Best muffin on the internet. I love your website!
These are great!! I did exactly like recipe except I used blueberries. I doubled the recipe and had 12 big muffins. Another comment read they were crumbly, I pressed them down quite a bit in the pan to prevent this. As recipe says you can really fill up the muffin tin.
Thanks for the feedback Mary, glad you loved them!
Excited to try this and your other recipes (just bought The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook). I did have one question though: I am planning to make my own coconut flour, but I am not sure which method would best match what you use in your recipes. Can I just use raw, unsweetened coconut that I blend into powder? Or should I make it with coconut pulp left over from making coconut milk (which has a lower fat content)?
Hi Sharon! I have never made my own coconut flour, so I am afraid I don’t have any experience to share with you. If you want the best chance of having this recipe turn out the way I intend, it is best to use store bought flour so you don’t waste the other ingredients on an experiment. I might first try and make some flour and compare that consistency to the store-bought kind so you can see if substitution may be an option for you. Hope it helps!
I love these! I couldn’t get them to stick together at all, likely because I have to use coconut oil since I am allergic to avocados. Any ideas on getting them to stick? Would arrow root powder in place of some of the other flour possible work? I am thrilled to have found your website. You’ve saved me!!!
Hi Roxanne! Yes, coconut oil imparts a different texture than avocado oil. I would suggest trying a mild-flavored olive oil instead.
Made these this morning. Was disappointed. Very dry, and didn’t stay together or have any flavor .
Hi Heather! Did you use all the ingredients I called for, and did you bake them for the recommended amount of time? Sorry they didn’t turn out for you! Baking with AIP ingredients can be very tricky if the ingredients aren’t exact and the oven isn’t cooking at the correct temperature.
Hi Heather! Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. Can I ask what brand of cassava flour you used?
I wanted to report that I substituted the coconut sugar for 1.5 ripe bananas that had been frozen and I thawed. I also had to use coconut oil instead of avocado oil. They are fantastic!
Leslie – awesome, thanks for sharing your version, that sounds delicious!
After 2 months of ‘no cake’ AIP it was a total surprise and a game changer for me… Thank you for this recipe. I will be using it and I am happy that you can easily customise it. It was a bit too sweet so I will use less sugar. I will try to bake it as a cake with sliced apples on top!
I’m so happy you loved it, Anna!
When making pancakes, waffles, or muffins, I always add one envelope of unflavored gelatin and 1/4 cup water to the wet ingredients. This acts like an egg substitute and binds together the ingredients. Works every time!
Can vanilla be used during the AIP elimination phase as it is a bean?
Mattea, vanilla is elimination-phase compliant.
I made these without sugar. I used dates for some sweetness. I like the way they came out. They held together nicely. I looking forward to trying them with blueberries. Thanks!!
Thanks for sharing that your experiment without sugar turned out, Rebecca!
Would it be possible to reduce the oil to 1/4 c and add 1/4 c apple sauce to reduce the oil?
Hi Monica! I don’t think this would work, as the oil is an integral component to the right texture and flavor.