I am forever on the lookout for ways to use the pulp which is left behind after making nut milk. It’s a bit of a nasty shock to find a container of nut pulp which has been hiding in the back of the fridge for a couple of weeks – it may have grown it’s very own food forest, which looks like Hawaii but smells like Rotorua. That stuff is nasty with a capital N.
Last week I had a hankering for muffins (this happens to me a lot during winter in Dunedin). So I decided – once and for all – to find a gluten-free muffin recipe that:
1) uses up nut milk pulp,
2) tastes great, and
3) actually results in a muffin-like texture (i.e., produces something other than rock cakes).
My previous experiments had been a tad disappointing. So this time I asked Dr Google and was so thrilled to find this recipe, which I then adapted to make them gluten-free and to use what I had available (they can also be dairy-free if you use coconut yoghurt and dairy-free chocolate). Big shout-out to Katie from The Muffin Myth for the inspiration!
These ones use nut milk pulp (tick! – although you can also make them without being a DIY nut milk fiend), taste great (tick! – although we don’t like muffins to be super-sweet so you may want to adjust the sweetness), and are beautifully soft and spongy (tick! – we have a hat-trick, people).
Raspberry, chocolate and ginger gluten-free muffins
1½ cups gluten-free baking mix (I used Healtheries brand)
1 cup nut pulp (see note)
¼ cup shredded coconut
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
120g (approx 1 cup when chopped) dark chocolate
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup dairy or coconut yoghurt (plain or berry flavoured)
1 cup frozen raspberries
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Place muffin liners in medium sized muffin trays (this recipe makes approximately 18 medium muffins OR 12 large and 12 mini muffins – great for lunchboxes!). If muffin liners are not non-stick, spray lightly with a neutral oil to prevent sticking.
Mix GF baking mix, nut pulp, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and ginger in a large bowl. Roughly chop dark chocolate and mix through the dry ingredients.
In a medium-sized jug, melt coconut oil. Add maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and yoghurt and mix. Stir frozen berries through dry mixture. Add wet ingredients and mix gently until just combined.
Spoon mixture into lined muffin trays and bake for approximately 20 minutes, rotating trays once during this time. Muffins are cooked when they are golden-brown; check larger muffins with a skewer to ensure mixture is cooked through.
Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before transferring to a metal cooling rack.
Notes: Nut pulp is the pulp leftover from making nut milk. Any nut pulp (e.g., almond, hazelnut, Brazil nut) will work in this recipe. If you don’t have nut pulp, use finely-ground nuts instead – you may need to add extra liquid to the recipe, as nut pulp contains more moisture than ground nuts).
These muffins are best eaten within 48 hours of baking. Makes: 18 medium or 12 medium and 12 small muffins.
One more shout-out – thanks so much to Katy, Debby and Amy who have all posted fantastic photos of Nibl recipes on Instagram recently! Remember to tag niblonthis so we can all see your gorgeous creations. It makes my day!
Yay! So glad you found a nut-pulp muffin recipe that works for you!
Why thank you for the inspiration, Katie! It’s a great website you have there. Cheers!