Almond flour is a relatively new ingredient for most of use, especially those who’ve recently gone gluten or grain free. I’ve received many questions about this flour, so today let’s have a little review and discussion about this versatile ingredient.
I’ve seen two kinds of almond flour on the market – blanched almond flour and almond meal. Blanched almond flour is ground almonds that have previously had the skins removed. Almond meal (sometimes also sold as “almond flour”) is ground almonds with the skins intact. I prefer blanched almond flour because the skins of the almond have been removed. Almonds contain phytic acid – an enzyme inhibitor and most of this phytic acid is found in the skin. While I usually soak and dehydrate nuts before consuming, I have found it a bit easier to purchase blanched almond flour because I don’t need to be as concerned about the phytic acid. And as an added bonus the flour is ground much finer than I can do myself at home. If you can get a good price on whole almonds, grinding the almonds yourself in a food processor, spice mill, or vitamix after they have been soaked and dehydrated is an easy way to make the flour at home.
I only use almond flour for the occasional treat, because of the price. I’ve found it cheaper to buy almond meal/flour at the store versus making it myself at home. A few good sources include: Azure Standard, Amazon (NOW Foods brand), Honeyville, or Trader Joe’s.
Last week I asked everyone on Facebook what brands they liked best and if they had any favorite tips for making their own. Here are some great tips:
* I’ve had the best luck making almond flour with slivered or sliced almonds in a coffee grinder.
* My sister is a pastry chef who told me to put the almonds in the refrigerator before grinding them to prevent the almonds from turning into almond butter.
* I make my almond flour in small batches in the Vitamix and then transfer it to a spice grinder to finish it off. – Susan
* I buy almond flour in the bulk section at my local Sprouts market. Almonds are $6-7 a pound, but the almond flour is $4.99 a pound.
* My favorite brand is Honeywell. They occasionally offer free shipping, so I order in large batches when the shipping is free.
Do you have a favorite way to make your almond flour, or a favorite brand you use?
My mom makes a version of these muffins which we call “tiny sinfuls” because you can’t just eat one. She sells her little pecan muffins in her two shops in the Dallas area and they’re always a huge hit during the holidays. I took this family favorite and converted it to grain free. My oldest daughter and I had to freeze the muffins in fear of eating every last one!
Pecan Coconut Muffins
I prefer to make my own baking powder to ensure that it’s grain-free. Here’s the recipe: 1 part baking soda + 1 part cream of tartar + 2 parts arrowroot. I make the baking powder in large batches and store it in a glass jar. Makes about 32 mini muffins
For the batter:
3/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grain-free baking powder (see above)
1/2 cup muscovado sugar (or a very dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Grease your mini-muffin tin with coconut oil or line with muffin liners. Whisk almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, muscovado and coconut in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in butter, vanilla and eggs. Stir in nuts. Using a teaspoon, spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 11 minutes until just golden brown. Serve. These keep well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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I have a gluten-free friend…I can’t wait to make these next time she comes to visit! Thank you!
These sound so yummy! I love adding a bit of coconut to muffins. Yum!
These sound great! I am making them for (a late) breakfast! I am assuming the eggs go in with the butter and sugar? Also, why in all your almond flour/gluten free baking do you just use a bit of coconut flour? I love the flavor and would like to add more, but I am assuming it’s a baking/texture thing?
Oops! Thanks for catching that. Yes, the eggs go in with the butter and vanilla. I made the edit. I use a little bit of coconut flour to get the texture I’m going for. Enjoy!
Yum yum yum! I have really enjoyed the latest posts with ideas for holiday goodies that I don’t have to feel so guilty about eating.
I have made your tiny pecan muffins before and couldn’t get enough of them. These sound like they will be equally delicious! Thanks!
I will try this asap!
One trick I learned is to grind the almonds with some of the sugar or the flour in the recipe to prevent the almonds from turning into butter.
I couldn’t find almond meal or flour yesterday at one store but found pecan meal and bought it. Wonder how that would work in this and other recipes for baking?
I haven’t used it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work well in any of the grain free baking recipes. Let me know how it goes!
I will. I think I may try some tonight or tomorrow. Will let ya know!
Trader Joes has almond meal “Just Almond Meal” (with the skins) I use it for baking the muffins on this site.
FYI – I like to eat the whole muffin and I’ve found that the grain free muffins I’ve baked, part of the muffin sticks to the muffin wrapper. So, I’ve started to grease the muffin tins with coconut oil and leave out the wrapper. It’s a little more cleanup, but, at least I get the whole muffin
Great idea!
They make muffin cups out of parchment paper now. The parchment just falls right off the muffin! I got them from Azure, but just google it to find them elsewhere.
Oh my goodness do these little gems look yummy!
Love the info about how people source their almond flour. We go through loads of it here as well. Lately I have been preferring the almond meal more myself. Lovely little muffins
I am eating one of these delightful little muffins right now, warm from the oven. What a great recipe! I agree, the mixture of almond flour with coconut flour is a winner.
My grain free journey started a month after yours. I am enjoying the results – the weight loss, the energy, less pain in my way too early arthritic hands (I am not yet 40). Last night I decided to have whole grain penne pasta in the interest of time, and it wasn’t half as good as the spaghetti squash with bolognese tonight. I think my taste buds have changed!
Thanks for the great recipes and please keep sharing your grain-free experience. I have directed lots of people here and they all find it very inspiring.
I made these this morning. They are absolutely delicious little bites. I used sucanat for my sweetener and a mixture of coconut oil (mostly) and butter. I like the mixture of almond meal with coconut flour in baking. I used Trader Joes almond meal. I’ve lost 10 pounds effortlessly since I joined you on the grain free challenge with only 2 pounds to go. I’m loving it! My sweet tooth and uncontrollable cravings are gone and I was a hopeless chocoholic. Seriously. Thank you Carrie for all your encouragement and delicious food.
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! I’m going to have to freeze them so I don’t eat them all. Next time I want to put a little cinnamon in the batter. YUM!!
Made these and they are the best muffins. I am thinking about making another batch and drizzling
a little chocolate on them. So far I have made two of your grain free muffin recipes and both have
turned out GREAT!! Thank you.
I made these today and they are fabulous. They come together quickly too. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes.
I just made these and I’m wondering if they will freeze well or not? They are delicious but I’d like to make them last longer than three days at room temp…thanks for the recipe!
Yes, they freeze well. Place them in an airtight container and they will last in the freezer for about 2 months.
I would love to try these but have a nut allergy in our house. Something I could switch for the almond flour with the same texture results. Doesn’t necessarily have to be grain free. I’m just not familiar enough with working with all the different flour/meals to know what might be a good substitute. The coconut flour should be fine.
I don’t know how to make these nut free and grain free, but here’s my suggestion for a gluten free version: Replace 3/4 cup almond flour with 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup arrowroot, 1/4 cup sorghum flour and 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin. If you try it, let me know how they turn out!
OK- just made these, they look a bit darker than yours, but they are SUPER yummy!! I think I may have to take the basic recipe idea and make a waffle version.. serve the pecans on top with coconut whipped cream and maple syrup.
jenetta
Oh, boy, are these wonderful. Teens are already fans (they just came out of the oven). One batch will not be enough for this family!
Can coconut oil be used in place of the butter?
I wouldn’t recommend it as it will change the texture of the muffins.
I made these a few days ago using half butter half coconut oil, and they turned out perfect. I also used ground hazelnuts instead of almond meal. They were incredible & tasted like pecan pie!
I love the idea of hazelnuts in these muffins. I’ll have to give that a try!
I am taking this home to visit family so I can have a “safe” treat to enjoy. Thanks!
Just made these! They are sooooo good! Definitely have to eat more than just one. I substituted Grade B maple syrup for the sugar. I also added some dried cranberries. The mix of coconut flour and almond meal makes for a nice texture. I hadn’t thought of trying that. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there!
I made these muffins this am with a few small changes. I added mini chocolate chips instead of nuts and I greased my muffin tins instead of papers. I had a problem where my muffins were so crumbly that they all broke in half when taking them out of the tins. I even let them cool first. They were still AMAZING, just a bit crumbly. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
I’ve never made this recipe with chocolate chips, so I can’t say for sure what went wrong. My best guess is that the chocolate chips had too much moisture and so the muffins wouldn’t hold together.
Is there a grain-free flour that you use for non-sweets? Like to dust chicken with, or add to stews to thicken it? Also, I just read somewhere else that organic spelt and quinoa are good grains, so now I’m confused.
Thanks for your help!
M
Almond flour and/or coconut flour are great for dusting meats with. I use coconut flour as a thickener for stews. I usually use a bit less than what’s called for in the recipe. For instance, if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons white flour, I’ll use 1 tablespoon coconut flour. Spelt and Quinoa are good grains, if prepared correctly and the body can tolerate them. I’ve personally been on a grain-free diet for over a year now because my body has a hard time digesting grains. I hope to add a few traditionally prepared grains back into my diet one day in the future!
These are amazing … I’m gonna make a triple batch next time. Popped right out of mini cupcake pans greased with coconut oil, where do you find liners for mini cupcakes? Thx for a great recipe!!
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