A couple of weeks ago, I was able to attend a #choosecherries conference in New York City (lucky gal), and since then I’ve been obsessing over what I can make & bake with this nutrient-dense SuperFood! Here’s my latest use for the lovely cherry–the speckle of red just feels like the holidays…

Tart Cherry & Coconut Gluten-Free Muffins

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup of all-purpose gf flour (I like Bobs Red Mill)
½ cup of organic coconut flour
1 ½ cups dried, unsweetened coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup organic coconut sugar

Wet Ingredients:

1 banana, super ripe and mashed
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
½ dried sour cherries

You’ll Need:

Muffin tin
Muffin papers OR coconut oil to grease
Two mixing bowls (med and large)
Tsp and measuring cups
Mixing spoon/spatula

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Either grease a 12-cup muffin tin with coconut oil OR line with muffin papers (holiday patterns are always cute). Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix all wet ingredients and cherries in a medium-sized bowl.  Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry.  Do NOT over mix–this will make your muffins too dense.  Fill muffin cups nearly full.  Bake for 22-26 mins.  Keep watch, depending on how hot your oven is.  Muffins are ready when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.  If not yet there, bake for 2 minute additional increments, until done.  Let cool and enjoy.

**Optional Extras

-add some dark chocolate chunks in the middle for an extra treat
-experiment with other dried fruits (blueberries, strawberries and apricots
-add 2 tbsp of ground cacao powder for a chocolate version!

Rachel A. Bies, CNP is the on-site nutritionist for McEwan Foods and Fit Factory Fitness Gym. She believes that food should always be delicious, fun, and healthy, and will be sharing her foodie nutritionist tips, recipes and lifestyle suggestions with SDTC readers! We love her approach to clean living and think you’ll find her easy tricks helpful and inspiring.

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