Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins with Toasted Almond and Coconut Streusel

After an inspiring gluten-free vegan baking class at the Natural Gourmet last week, I couldn't wait to try making the Blueberry Muffin recipe at home. I made a few modifications since I didn't have coconut oil in my pantry, but I still wanted that decadent coconut flavor. So I decided to make a streusel topping with shredded coconut and slivered almonds, which I happened to have in the fridge, and which resulted in an equally decadent treat (perhaps even more so, since the first taste you get when biting into the muffin is toasty coconut sweetness).

I shared a dozen of these babies with the fearless walkers at yesterday's Walk for Farm Animals. It was tough keeping our hands off them during the 45 minute car ride from New Haven!

Blueberry Muffin with Toasted Almond Coconut Streusel
(modified from Korrie Chichester's Blueberry Muffin Recipe)

yield: 12-14 muffins

Muffins:
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/4 cup Sucanat
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 Tbl ground flax seed mixed with 5 Tbl water
3/4 cup soy milk
1 Tbl vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup frozen blueberries

Streusel:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbl Sucanat
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup shredded coconut
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbl canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine Streusel ingredients in a small bowl then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, garbanzo flour, tapioca starch, Sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt and cinnamon. Add oil, applesauce, flax seed mixture, soy milk, vanilla and almond extracts and whisk together until combined. The batter should be thick but spoonable. Carefully fold in frozen blueberries. Line muffin tins with papers. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into the papers. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of streusel topping over each muffin and lightly press down to ensure topping adheres to batter. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tops are springy and sides of muffins are lightly browned. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans, then transfer to cooling rack to continue cooling completely. Sprinkle with a pinch of Florida Crystals before serving.