Fruit Sweetened Peach Pecan Muffins (GF, V)

One of the things I loved about weekend mornings growing up was freshly baked muffins.  I still love it as an adult, and I have come up with healthier muffins so I don’t go on a sugar high like I used to when I was little.  The recipe I am sharing with you today uses organic peaches, which are in season and at their most flavorful right now.  When you bake with fruits that are in season and ripe, you don’t need to sweeten them as much because they are sweeter!  I sweetened these muffins with fruit as well in the form of dates.  Dates are like nature’s candy, they taste like caramel, and are about as unprocessed as it can get when it comes to sweeteners.  I also added in pecans to these muffins because they are so good with peaches, and they add a nice little crunch. They are gluten free as well, so you can serve them to friends and family who are on a gluten free diet.  They are something that you can feel good about eating, and you would never guess that they are healthier because they taste so good!

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 12 | Prep Time: 10 min. | Cook Time: 15 min. | Ready in: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted (if they are not soft, soak them in filtered water for 30 minutes and drain before using).
• 3/4 cup filtered water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 cup diced fresh ripe organic peaches
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F and position rack in center of oven. Line 12 muffin tins with liners. Place dates, water, oil, and vanilla extract into a blender, and blend until smooth, then pour into a bowl, and whisk in the sea salt and flour until blended. Then whisk in the vinegar and fold in the peaches and pecans. Transfer cake batter to prepared tins and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool slightly, then serve warm!