Fem365: Fitness. Food. Femininity.

The college dining hall… Those were the days. (Almost) always open, our college cafeteria was an all-you-can-eat smorgasboard of food that we pretended to hate but secretly loved. Hence the freshman 15.

I have fond memories of my college cafeteria — Dillon Hall, at Linfield College. I was still eating anything I wanted in those days (and living in a constant state of pain and fatigue) and I LIVED FOR their almond-poppyseed muffins. Oh my goodness. I called them “Dillon Muffins,” and the memory of the daily basket heaped full of freshly-baked muffins will be alive in my mind forever. I was always sad when almond-poppyseed wasn’t in the rotation of Dillon Muffins. Of course, all of the Dillon Muffins were fat, starch, and sugar laden… But damn, they were good.

I have been good about avoiding sugar and alcohol for the past 2 weeks or so (just a few “slips” here and there), but I have really missed baking (and eating) my “Paleofied” treats. The other day I could not handle it any longer. I had an intense craving for Dillon Muffins (almond-poppyseed of course) and decided to give ‘em a go without refined sugar and sans grains. It was a success! These little jewels are delicious… So good, I ate a third of the batch in one sitting. Hey, it only makes seven muffins… Two in my belly isn’t terrible, right?

 Grain Free Almond-Poppyseed Muffins

• 6 dates, chopped and covered in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften
• 1 small (or ½ large) banana
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp almond extract
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut flour, sifted
• ½ cup blanched almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp poppyseeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
2. Drain dates and add to bowl of food processor along with banana. Process until smooth. Add honey, coconut oil, vanilla, and almond extract and process until smooth. Scrape sides of food processor, then add eggs and process until smooth.
3. Stir together coconut flour, almond flour, and baking soda in small bowl. Add to food processor and process until smooth. Add poppyseeds and pulse until incorporated.
4. Grease muffin tin with coconut oil or line with muffin cups. If using muffin cups (paper or silicone) I recommend spraying them with cooking spray since these muffins tend to stick to the liners. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, then place in preheated oven. After about 10-12 minutes (when the tops are golden brown) cover with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for another 8-12 minutes or until the tops spring back when gently touched. (These muffins require 18-24 minutes total baking time; the time will vary depending on oven type and temp… I use a convection oven, so things tend to bake a little faster than they would in a conventional oven).