Gluten-free Fruit Muffins

First things first...we are not gluten free in our house, but I love a yummy, healthier muffin option. About a month ago or so, I stumbled on this post at Love Veggies and Yoga (have you checked out Averie's blog? If you haven't, you must!). I loved that the recipe was super simple, took hardly any time, and yielded a product that would serve as a somewhat healthy snack for J throughout the day. This child takes after her momma. She is a hardcore grazer. Makes organized meal times pretty much non-existent, but I digress....

The problem I had with this recipe is that it called for brown and white sugar, neither of which I have in my house. I had to modify the recipe to adjust for what ingredients I had on hand. The last time I made these muffins, I quadrupled the recipe and added a 1/4 cup more buckwheat flour than I had in the past. I thought the texture of the muffins were better than the previous times I had made them. So, I will share the way I made them the last time.

Gluten-free Fruit Muffins
4 cups oats
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/2 cups maple syrup (this amount can be cut down if you want a less sweet muffin)
2 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil spread
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all of the above ingredients and let sit for about 10 minutes. The batter will thicken some as it sits. You want the consistency of pancake batter.

After 10 minutes, add 1/2 cup fruit. The first time I made these, I used blueberries because they were in season. Now we've switched to peaches. I bet you could use whatever kind of fruit you'd like and they would be delicious!

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen muffins. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Look at all that whole grain deliciousness! :)

And a closer look...yummy!!!!

I am working on omitting the olive oil spread to make them healthier, but we didn't have any applesauce on hand when I made these last. I bet you could sub at least half, if not all of the spread with applesauce and the texture would still turn out the same.

Hope you enjoy these! I know J does! :)