Pure Thyme

For a Balanced Life

Quinoa Oatmeal Mini-Muffins

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Today, I decided to try out quinoa flour for the first time. I actually want to experiment with all gluten-free flours so I thought this was a good starting point. I am a HUGE fan of quinoa in general for its nutritional benefits and use it often, but I’ve never made anything out of quinoa flour. Quinoa has a slightly bitter taste, but I love it and most of you probably do as well! There are definitely many recipes out there that use it, but I had to try it out for myself. I modified a recipe I’ve had for a long time for oatmeal muffins by just replacing the whole wheat pastry flour with the quinoa flour.

The end result…the muffins do have a distinct quinoa flavor to them, but are they good? My husband thinks they are fantastic, they are kid-approved, and I kind of like them too. These are a great, healthy snack for kids. Every time I eat one I like them even more…they are growing on me…yep. I definitely need to experiment with quinoa flour some more and maybe mix the quinoa flour with another gluten-free flour like amaranth. I think that is what I will do next time I make these, which will probably be in the next couple days because I will obsess about it until I try it!  

Have you tried quinoa flour? What do you think about it? If you haven’t, try these muffins out and let me know what you think!
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Quinoa Oatmeal Mini-Muffins
Yield: 24 mini-muffins
Ingredients:
1 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tbsp water
1 ¼ cup quinoa flour
1 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup date syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped dates
¼ cup chopped pecans
Directions    
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F.
Lightly spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Mix 1 tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp water, set aside. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda into mixing bowl.  Add oatmeal and stir to combine. In a separate bowl combine flaxseed meal mixture, almond milk, date syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Fold in dry ingredients and add raisins, dates and pecans.  Mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into muffin pans, filling each one almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.
Happy healthy eating!

Comments

  1. Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan says

    I've never tried quinoa flour but I'm so intrigued. I really want these muffins. Is date syrup hard to find?

  2. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    Hi Nikki..I haven't found date syrup in my local supermarkets, but I usually make it myself…it's not very difficult to make…I meant to post a recipe, but I ran out of time…if you click on the words date syrup it will link you to a website where you can buy it…I love cooking with dates! I will get up a recipe for you =)

  3. Evan Thomas says

    Beautiful muffins! I've never tried quinoa in baked goods but it looks fantastic.

  4. Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan says

    I just googled "date syrup recipe" and you're right, it looks so easy to make! I LOVE dates. I have to try this. Thank you so much!

  5. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    Thanks Evan! This was just a test, I love they way they came out..the quinoa flour is much lighter than whole wheat pastry flour which makes baked goods seem more dense to me…I can't wait to experiment some more…I love your blog!

    Nikki…after I cooled the date syrup I squeezed it through a cheesecloth to get rid of chunkies and this was the way to go…it was a perfect syrup…I don't have a *sniff* *sniff* vitamix yet so i don't know if you can skip this step if you use one…i'm getting one soon though! =)

  6. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says

    Oh these look so good! I have never used Quinoa flour but sounds like I need to give it a try!

  7. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    Hi Alicia,

    I need to make a new recipe with quinoa flour this weekend to see how it comes out =)

  8. Jenny says

    Do you happen to have nutritional info on these? Look yummy! Any quinoa flour substitutes in case I can’t find it??

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Jenny,

      Unfortunately I don’t have the nutritional info, I would love to add it to my recipes, but I need to get some sort of program to do that! It’s in my list 😉 these are pretty heàlthy and wholesome do I wouldn’t worry too much about it anyhow 😉 I haven’t used another type of flower, but I’m sure whole wheat flour would work just fine or any other. 🙂 hope that helps!

      Jen