Gluten-Free Cranberry Gouda Muffins

A satisfying, hearty muffin with bursts of sweet cranberry complimented by rich, smokey gouda cheese. This gluten-free, nut-free, keto muffin recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make, and will bring you back to those childhood afternoon at your grandmothers. You'll want to make a double batch so you have enough left to freeze, they're that good.  Bonus: they're guilt-free and healthy. 

Have you ever had a craving hit so hard, you knew if you didn't jump up and find an alternative immediately, you were going to give into the craving?  That's what happened the other night.  I wanted a buttery biscuit, more than that though I was craving a specific feeling: that familiar nostalgia of enjoying a homemade biscuit. Having gluten intolerances, I opted for creating this recipe instead of going off-track, and I'm so happy that I did. 

Food CAN be comfort, even if it's healthy

I grew up next-door to my grandmother who made *the* best biscuits and I get my love of them honestly.  Whenever she made some (weekly), you could always find a fresh batch in our cupboards too.  They sat on a shelf, in a frequently-used cupboard within reach to the butter dish, of course.  (You did NOT want to hear my dad being grumpy about butter that was too hard to spread, heheh.). 

I could smell them as soon as I walked in the door.  Even if I couldn't, I'd check the cupboard almost immediately.  That post-school-day snack was the best.

Nowadays, though, thanks to the horrible consequences of enjoying too-much gluten, I try to avoid traditional homemade biscuits.  And while these muffins will never quite line up with my nanny's melt-in-your-mouth flaky biscuits, they hit the spot nevertheless. 

Needless to say, these muffins hit the spot and were an INSTANT delight.  Testing recipes allows me to have many guilt-free samples, and every bite I took of these savoury, flavorful muffins made me even more excited to share the recipe. 

I always feel grateful that my weight-loss journey did not come at the sacrifice of delicious, wholesome meals.  So many diets I've tried consisted of giving up everything that I loved, which just resulted in my getting frustrated and discouraged.  As you probably know, if you're not loving your healthy lifestyle - you will not stick to it.  

What to expect: baking keto breads

If you're new to the world of keto/low carb, you may be surprised when you bake your first keto bread product.  Unlike traditional white bread, keto bread is dense and packed with flavor. It doesn't rise as much as traditional bread, but what you lose in height you definitely gain in nutrition and satiety.  

These muffins are no exception, sturdy (perfect for slathering with butter) and hearty, they're more than a snack.  Plus, thanks to the incredible power of our prebiotic fiber found in Natural Nutralean - this recipe gets a double boost of filling and deliciousness.

It may surprise you to hear that of all the flavours of Nutralean, my favourite is Natural Nutralean.  It may be unflavored, but it's the most versatile product we have!  

Here are some examples of how I use my Natural:

• If you like your smoothies on the less-sweet side, you can use a scoop of Natural to cut down the sweetness! If your go-to is 2 scoops of Vanilla Cream, try using 1 scoop Natural, and 1 scoop Vanilla.
• Salad dressing - I always empty the container and whisk in 2 or 3 scoops of Natural.  Not only does my salad dressing go further, it makes my salads more filling!
• Having it on hand means I always have a healthy option.  With a few other simple ingredients I can make pizza crusts, biscuits, muffins, crepes, wraps, breads, and more.  

Along with the impressive versatility, it's also safe.  That word may not mean much to you if you don't have food allergies, but for someone who lives with a life-threatening allergy, the concept of safe food is not a common one.

We're so proud to offer truly gluten-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free and soy-free products. We feel very strongly that NO ONE should have to worry about their food killing them. That's why we're focused on a better way: a safe way to enjoy your favourite foods.  To learn how Nutracelle is different, click here.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Gouda Keto Muffins

The batter for these muffins is going to be dense, and won't rise up much.  I recommend filling your cupcake liners/muffin holes about 2/3rd of the way.  I baked mine for 10 minutes before peeking, and then sort of babied them until they were done.  I used the 'ol "if the toothpick comes out clean, they're done" rule. The average cook-time was about 13 minutes.  I wouldn't recommend substituting the coconut flour for any other flour without doing some research, as coconut flour is extremely absorbent and you'll need to adjust the eggs in the recipe, too.

They make the perfect base for Eggs Benedict

If you're a fan of our Microwave English Muffin Recipe, you may have already created your own Nutracelle Eggs Benedict.  A huge fan of Hollandaise sauce, I was eager to put these muffins to the breakfast test. But first, I had to create a homemade hollandaise sauce since it's not something I keep readily on hand. 

Thanks to Google and Natural Nutralean, it was a complete success.

Homemade Hollandaise Sauce

I'm happy to announce: our Eggs Benedict breakfast did NOT disappoint.  The runny yolk lent it's flavor to the hearty muffins, which happily soaked up some hollandaise as well.  Every bite made me happier and happier, but oh my goodness - it was filling.  

I'm excited to create more savory muffin recipes now that we've fallen in love with this one, and I can't wait to share them with you. I hope you make your own version of these delicious muffins - and I would love to hear about it! Share a photo on social media, or e-mail me at: tracy@nutracelle.com and share your recipes! 

Thanks for reading 
xo
Tracy