Gluten Free Lavender Almond Honey Muffins with Vanilla Lavender Glaze {Giveaway}

Gluten Free Lavender Almond Honey Muffins with Vanilla Lavender Glaze are lightly sweetened with honey and brown sugar and infused with a touch of lavender oil. Topped with a vanilla lavender glaze using doTERRA essential oils.

I’m super excited to announce a giveaway today! But even more so, I’m excited to announce the recipe that goes along with this giveaway. I really broke out of my comfort zone with this recipe, and I am super duper stoked to share it with all of you lovely readers.

But first, let’s talk about this GIVEAWAY.

First and foremost, head on over to An.Oil.A.Day Instagram account for rules and regulations on how to win your very own starter kit of doTERRA Essential Oils.

My good friend Cortney Clegg asked me if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for these essential oils. She was hoping that I might be able to create a recipe using any of the sample oil flavors in the starter kit (lavender, peppermint, and lemon).

I was actually completely surprised by the request. Not because she wanted me to bake something, but because I had never considered cooking/baking with essential oils before. The thought had just never crossed my mind.

I’ve had plenty of friends that have jumped on the oils bandwagon, but all I ever hear is how they use them on their bodies or a drop or two in their drinks; never using them in recipes.

Well, you know I am one to take on any challenge, so of course I said yes.

Now lemon and peppermint, those are easy. A couple of ideas I had using these flavors were:

1. Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix (Uh, yum?! I’ll still be making this one…soon!)
2. Lemon Dill Baked Salmon
3. Lemon Citrus Sunrise Smoothies
4. Peppermint Fudgesicles
5. White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies
6. Olive Oil Toast with Lemon Avocado Spread

The ideas were just rolling in, but that LAVENDER. That lavender was just staring me in the face, taunting me with this attitude like, “Betcha can’t do anything with me!”

Betcha I’ll punch you in the face!

Don’t mess with me lavender. I’ll show you.

Show you I did!

Now I’ve heard of lavender cakes before, and even lavender truffles, so I knew that someone somewhere had figured out a recipe using this type of flavor. However, heard of and tasted are two very different things.

I have never TASTED lavender before.

So what did I do???

I put a drop on my tongue.

BAD IDEA!!!!

First off, not only have I never tasted lavender before, but I have never tasted an essential oil before. I did not realize just how CONCENTRATED they are.

Secondly, lavender BURNS! Hahaha!

After a few minutes of washing my tongue, I was finally able to taste again and realized that in order to make this flavor edible and pleasing to the palette, it needed some sweetness and another strong flavor to balance it out.

Honey and almond.

Those were the winners.

These delicate mini Gluten Free Lavender Almond Honey Muffins with Vanilla Lavender Glaze are the absolute perfect balance of florally sweetness.

I literally only used 4 drops of lavender oil in the entire batch of muffins, and only a single drop in the glaze to give just enough flavor. Anything less would just be an ordinary muffin, but anything more would be…well…garbage. And we don’t eat garbage around here!

These muffins are light and airy, tender and moist, sweet and florally.

These muffins are SPRING.

The best part is the vanilla lavender glaze you spoon on top as these muffins come fresh out of the oven. The glaze melts over the top and down the sides of each muffin, just asking to be licked. Don’t be shy. Lick away.

Both my girls LOVED these muffins. I wasn’t quite sure how they would take to this new flavor of lavender, but apparently they liked it. Now if lavender is supposed to be soothing or calming or whatever, I’m not quite sure it did the trick on my little rugrats. Or it could be the fact that the sugar probably outweighs the effects of the lavender…just maybe.

But hey, these muffins are sweetened mostly with honey, so they’re healthier than most other muffins you’d be eating. Go ahead and indulge.

I’m having quite the fun time learning how to balance and enhance flavors with my new little oil pack. My friend sent a couple extra samples my way and I’ve already made omelets and guacamole using the lime oil and lemonade using the grapefruit oil for a twist of flavor.

I’ve also used the lemon oil to sanitize my cutting boards, the lavender oil in my face wash to fight against breakouts, and the peppermint oil to plump up my lips before date night. Ooh la la! I got that idea from Cortney herself.

Seriously, there are some great uses for these oils even if you’re not into the whole healing mumbo jumbo (which, can you tell, I’m not quite sold on). Plus, they go a looooong way. They really do last a long time since you are only using a drop or two at a time.

Stay tuned this month for some more great recipes using essential oils. I could get used to this!

Gluten Free Lavender Almond Honey Muffins with Vanilla Lavender Glaze {Giveaway}

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

11 mins

Total time

26 mins

 

Almond flavored muffins lightly sweetened with honey and brown sugar, infused with a touch of lavender. Topped with a vanilla lavender glaze using doTERRA essential oils.

Author: Brielle

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 36 mini muffins

Ingredients

• For the Muffins:
• 1¾ cups butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4-6 drops lavender oil, depending on taste
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ½ cup white rice flour
• ½ cup sweet sorghum flour
• ⅔ cup potato starch
• ¼ cup tapioca starch
• For the Glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1½ tablespoons almond milk, or milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• splash of almond extract (about ⅛ teaspoon)
• 1 drop lavender oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
2. Begin making muffins by adding melted butter, eggs, honey, brown sugar, almond extract, and lavender oil (starting with 4 drops) to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Whisk until smooth.
3. In a separate smaller mixing bowl sift together baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, white rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until incorporated. Whisk 1 minute more.
5. Fill liners ⅔ way full and bake at 350 degrees, one pan at a time, for 10-12 minutes or until tops bounce back at touch of a finger and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean with few crumbs. Cool on cooling rack for 1 minute before removing. Remove muffins from tins and continue cooling on rack.
6. As muffins are cooling, begin making glaze. Stir together all ingredients. Add more almond extract if desired. Thin glaze with additional milk or thicken with additional powdered sugar. Spoon a small amount of glaze over each muffin and top with sliced almonds.
7. Serve warm and enjoy!

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