Gluten-Free Apple Muffins (Dairy-Free)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already includes it)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cubed apples (I like granny smith apples)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat and Grease: Preheat the oven to 350F and adjust the oven rack to the center position. Grease a 12-cup regular muffin pan with oil or non-stick cooking spray and line with white muffin paper liners.

2. 2

   Prepare Zest and Juice: Grate the lemons to get the lemon zest and squeeze the juice, removing any seeds.

3. 3

   Beat Oil, Sugar and Zest: In a large bowl, combine the sunflower oil, white sugar, light brown sugar and lemon zest and beat well.

4. 4

   Add Eggs, Juice and Milk: Add the eggs, lemon juice, and milk to the bowl and whisk for one minute until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5. 5

   Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (if using), salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

6. 6

   Add Dry Ingredients to Wet: Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until just combined to get a homogeneous pale yellow batter (the batter will be thick so you will have to spoon it instead of pour it).

7. 7

   Fold Cubed Apples into Batter: Gently fold 3/4 cup of the fresh cubed apples into the muffin batter until the cubed apples are evenly distributed.

8. 8

   Transfer Batter to Muffin Pan: Spoon approximately 1/3 cup of the batter into each of the 12 cavities of the muffin pan.

9. 9

   Top with Remaining Apples: Evenly top the muffin batter with the remaining 3/4 cup cubed apples.

10. 10

    Bake batter for approximately 40 minutes until the muffins are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven once ready.

11. 11

    Let Cool Completely: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them and letting them cool totally on a wire cooling rack.