So, you've finally reached a point in food trials where you can start combining ingredients. The muffin is a definite LEVEL UP. There's almost nothing I can't hide in a muffin. Part of the challenge of doing food trials with a toddler is that she's a toddler. Getting them to try new things can be tricky under the best of circumstances. There's nothing more satisfying than proving that I'm smarter than my toddler when it comes to outwitting her picky eating habits. The other day she informed me she didn't like the grass in her muffin and then refused to eat the rest of the batch. Hint: peel the zucchini before shredding and they can no longer find the "grass". Vegetables are surprisingly easy to get into muffins. If you can shred them or puree them, you can bake them in. Sneaky food trials, here we come. Add things in as you are able. I have a list below the recipe of possible recipe variations. We started egg trials by just giving her the yolk. You can separate the white, gently run the yolk under cold water to rinse off the remaining white, and then add to the batter. Eventually we moved to adding the full egg. This is a pretty forgiving recipe that only gets better the more you are able to add as food trials progress. Let's be honest though. In it's most basic form it's not the light fluffy muffin of your dreams. It's a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, slightly grainy version of what we think a muffin should be. The great news is that your kid doesn't know the difference. Once you start adding eggs and milks, it starts getting better. Depending on the amount of sugar you add, this recipe acts as a muffin and a cake base. Adjust accordingly. The amount of sugar listed is for a muffin. You can add more sugar for cake, but I don't bother because again, she doesn't know the difference. Additionally, adjust the amounts of flour and milk based on the other things you are adding. If your batter is looking dry, add a little more milk (or water). If it's too wet, sprinkle in some more flour. The recipe is good for 6 muffins, a couple of small cake ramekins, or around 20-24 mini muffins (how much batter you end up with depends on what you are adding). I like to make mini muffins since they are the perfect toddler size--more muffin in the mouth and less smashed in the hair. Basic Muffin Recipe 1/2 C rice flour (or your flour of choice) 1 1/2 tsp baking powder* 1/8 tsp salt 3 Tbs white sugar (honey, maple syrup, or monk fruit sweetener okay) 2 Tbs extra light olive oil (or oil of choice) 1/4 C rice milk (or milk of choice, or water) 1/2 tsp vanilla (can leave this out) 1 egg (or just the yolk, or leave it out) In a small bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl mix sugar, oil, milk, vanilla, and egg. Add the dry ingredients to the medium bowl and mix. Spoon into muffin tin lined with papers or cake ramekins. Bake 400 degrees until toothpick comes out clean. 15-20 minutes muffins, 5-9 minutes for mini muffins. *We prefer aluminum free baking powder. Be aware that this is activated when it gets wet (versus regular baking powder that is heat activated). This means you need to move relatively quickly once you combine your wet and dry ingredients. If you mix the bowl, walk away for 30 minutes and then put it in the oven, they will be dense and flat. Who walks away in the middle of a baking project? Definitely not me... Variations! Blueberry:
1/2 C blueberries, zest from half a lemon, squeeze of lemon juice Lemon Poppy Seed: Zest of half a lemon, squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tsp poppy seeds, 1/8 tsp almond extract Pumpkin (or Sweet Potato) 1/4 C pumpkin puree, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of all spice, pinch of nutmeg Chocolate 3 Tbs cocoa, 1/4 C mini chocolate chips (we use these) Add to any of the above: 1 scoop of collagen (quality matters! We use this. You can read more about collagen here.) 1/4-1/2 C of finely shredded zucchini, carrot, beet, or anything else you can think of...rutabaga? 2 Tbs ground chia (this soaks up the liquid, add some extra milk or water to compensate. Also, it's visible in the lighter colored batters so keep that in mind if you don't want to be accused of baking ants into the muffins.) Purees to experiment with: Pumpkin, sweet potato, beet, carrot, rutabaga, applesauce. What else can you come up with? Let me know what works for you!
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11/5/2022 01:29:36 pm
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