Flaxseed Cinnamon Bun Muffins (grain-free, paleo, low carb + keto)
Muffins! Are you ready for this? Mentally? Emotionally?
Remember when I made this Grain-free Flaxseed Foccacia? It’s THE most popular recipe on the blog. Of all time, ever.
The other day, I made Coconut Creme French Toast with a couple of slices of focaccia (highly recommend doing this) and it got me thinking… I bet I could make muffins with that same base focaccia recipe.
How French toast made me think of muffins is beyond me. Whatever the connection, we’re all in luck. A little tweak here and there and here we are…
Instead of flour, I’ve used ground flaxseeds for this low carb muffin recipe. That’s it, that’s all. Maybe you’ve read/heard about heated flaxseeds being bad for your health? It’s partially true. Here’s the thing…
Why I’m okay with heating Whole flaxseed
The fragile components of flax; where all of this heat or not to heat concern stems, is in the alpha-linolenic acid (an omega fatty acid) and lignans (a compound that mimics human hormones, specifically estrogen). I was able to find three separate studies that note the effects of heating flaxseed and it’s overall health benefits (1) (2) (3).
All in all, I’m not concerned with using whole (or ground) flaxseed in my homemade baking because I’m in control of its freshness, the temperatures that were used, and the duration. The same cannot be said for store-bought flax products… I’ll stick with homemade, thanks.
The REALLY cool thing about flax; and something I am practicing myself, is its ability to normalize estrogen levels. In December, I began supplementing with 3 capsules of this flaxseed oil supplement, in an effort to boost my estrogen even further. If you’re not familiar with my hormone regulation project, check this out.
The lignans in flaxseed are phytoestrogens , plant chemicals mimicking the effects of estrogen in the body: Phytoestrogens hook onto the same spots on cells where estrogen attaches. If there is little estrogen in the body, for example after menopause, lignans may act like weak estrogen. However, when natural estrogen is abundant, lignans may reduce the hormone’s effects by displacing it from cells; displacing estrogen in this manner might help prevent those cancers that depend on estrogen, such as breast cancer, from starting and developing. (This is also, in part, how soy is believed to work in breast cancer prevention, although the phytoestrogens in soy are isoflavones .)
Excerpt from NYU Medical Center, Flaxseed
Either way, it’s a win, win. Baking with the flaxseed, flaxseed supplementation, it’s all the name of my game right now.
Right, and eating a lot of muffins. Definitely part of the plan, too.
Author: Leanne Vogel Recipe type: Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Grain-free, Nut-free, Low Carb, Keto
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 12
Flourless grain-free, sugar-free, low carb muffins made with just flaxseed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups roughly ground flaxseed
- ¼ cup birch-sourced xyltiol or 20-30 drops alcohol-free stevia
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
- 5 large eggs
- ½ cup water, room temperature
- ⅓ cup MCT oil or melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-count muffin pan with non-bleached paper liners. Set aside.
- Combine flax seed with baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine fully and set aside.
- Add eggs, water, oil and vanilla extract to the jug of your high-powered blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds, until foamy.
- Transfer liquid mixture to the bowl with the flaxseed mixture. Stir with a spatula, just until incorporated. The mixture will be very fluffy. Once incorporated, allow to sit for 3 minutes.
- Spoon mixture into prepared muffin pan, each cavity should be filled about 90% of the way up. The muffins will expand while baking so don’t fill to the very tops.
- Bake muffins for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and remove muffins from the cavities immediately and place on a cooling rack.
- Muffins can be toasted or frozen. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes Xylitol - I made this recipe with xylitol. Feel free to use whatever sugar you’d like to here. If you’re aiming for sugar-free, you could try xyltiol, too.
Eggs - if you have an egg allergy, I’ve been told that this format of recipe works really well with egg replacer but I have not tried it personally.
MCT Oil - you could use Alpha Energy; an MCT oil blend, or Bulletproof Brain Octane. If you do not have access or are not interested in using MCT oil, coconut oil would work well, too.
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Begin by adding all dry ingredients to a large bowl. I used a lot of cinnamon in this recipe… because I love it! Don’t be afraid with the 2 tablespoons. It’s not overkill, it’s just right!
Set aside the bowl of dry ingredients and add all of the wet ingredients to the jug of your blender. I used local, pasture-raised eggs for this recipe. The yolks were so bright and beautiful. If you use a lighter flaxseed with this recipe, combined with the deep yellow yolks, the muffins will take on a whole other color.
Once blended, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and stir to mix. I like to set the mixture aside to thicken up for a couple of minutes.
Leaving the batter to sit will help the flaxseed congeal with the liquid ingredients, it’s quite marvelous!
Transfer to muffin tins, bake and chow down! I like my (warm) muffins spread with coconut oil and a touch of salt.
This last year has been so transformative. I’ve seen foods change my life in ways I never thought possible, just by changing my view on what could heal me and what my body was asking for. Flaxseed has been part of that, using it to normalize my estrogen levels without the use of hormone replacement therapies. One day at a time, keeping an open mind to it all, and sharing my journey along the way.
I know that many of you are healing yourself through food, like me! And, I’d love to hear your stories. Please, share in the comments below. Your journey will act as inspiration to the thousands of women in our community seeking solace in knowing that we are not alone.
What medical challenges are you; or someone in your family, faced with right now?
How have you used food to encourage natural healing?
