Do you remember the “Muffin Tops” episode of Seinfeld? If you were alive in 1997 when it aired – or even if you weren’t but have seen any reruns of this iconic sitcom series – I bet you do. This recipe for AIP blueberry muffin bites is my nod to that because it’s all muffin top, no “stump”!
Why muffin tops are genius for AIP!
I’ve been developing AIP-friendly baking recipes for more than 5 years now and I still hadn’t perfected a blueberry muffin recipe. Every attempt either was too dense for my taste or gummy… or both! In traditional baking and even in paleo grain-free baking, eggs do more than bind the ingredients together and can’t easily be substituted without losing both leavening and texture. The batter won’t rise much so you can fill muffin tins all the way to the top and even mound the batter up. That means you’ll get muffins that look good, but they may not bake all the way through or have an unappealing texture.
But then I realized that the batter I was developing was thick enough that it could stand on its own, without even needing a muffin tin to hold its shape. So, I began to improvise with making some muffin “bites” and realized that what I had actually created was an AIP blueberry muffin “top” that even Elaine Benes would love!
(Here’s the episode, in case you want to take a trip down memory lane before we get to the recipe…)
Notes on AIP-friendly baking ingredients
This recipe uses cassava flour and coconut flour, which are now becoming much more readily available. You can experiment with the different brands that are now available, but I have found that there is a lot of variation in consistency and thus in results so it is always helpful to know which brands the original recipe developer used to create the recipe. Then, once you’ve had enough experience on your own with AIP baking, pick your favorite brands and stick with it so you learn how it behaves and get consistent results every time. This is my favorite cassava flour and this is my favorite coconut flour.
Looking for more cassava flour recipes? Check out this post!
Both of these flours, along with almost everything else you need to make this recipe, are available from ShopAIP.
Notes for other healing diets
- For my readers who are following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), you will not be able to make this recipe because cassava flour is not legal. I’m sorry that I don’t have any suggestions for an alternative to this grain free staple.
- For those who need a lower FODMAP option, you can make this recipe with maple syrup instead of honey and limit yourself to eating just one at a time.
- For those who wish to make these blueberry muffin bites vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Notes on equipment
A #40 size cookie scoop will make it super easy to portion and shape these muffin bites. This is the one that I have.
Silicone sheet pan liners are also really nice for this recipe. I use mine constantly!
Finally, I’ve provided volume measurements as well as weight measurements. If you are going to do a lot of AIP baking, you won’t regret investing in a nice digital scale so you get consistent results. I have an earlier version of this one and it has held up really well.
Now, let’s get to that recipe!
AIP Blueberry Muffin Tops Recipe
Print
Blueberry Muffin Bites (AIP)
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
These AIP blueberry muffin bites are inspired by the Seinfeld episode about the muffin tops. “Top of the morning to you!”
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (115 grams) cassava flour
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) applesauce
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking liner or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine cassava flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add honey, applesauce, and melted coconut oil and mix well. You will have a thick batter.
- Use a #40 size cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon to form 16 uniform size balls and place on lined cookie sheet.
- Moisten your hand with water to prevent sticking and gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and then press three or four blueberries into the top of each bite.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until firm and beginning to brown.
- Allow to cool completely before serving. Best enjoyed the same day they are baked, but can be frozen.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Please sign up for my weekly email newsletter to be the first to know about all my latest offerings and news!
Click to Pin It!
32 replies on “Blueberry Muffin Bites (AIP)”
Do you know what I could replace the applesauce with? We have an apple allergy in our home.
Hmmm… I think any cooked and pureed fruit would work. Maybe a pear sauce?
I’ve been having to use “ground chia seeds & water” eggs for my granddaughter in a variety of muffins, rather than eggs, and no one can tell the difference! I TB ground seeds to 3 TBs water chilled for 5 min. Throwing in a tsp or 2 of psyllium husks fluffs them up a little extra too. 😉
I have a coconut food sensitivity so I substituted arrowroot flour for the coconut flour and avocado oil for the coconut oil.
Turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
Mine are extremely crumbly if I follow the recipe, as in I have to eat with a fork and transfer to a plate on a spatula. I used avocado oil instead of coconut oil and they were less crumbly but still couldn’t hold together. Both resemble cookies more than muffin tops. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
I had to substitute more cassava flour for the coconut flour. I had to substitute more oil for the applesauce. It was just what I had in the house. Turned out dry and crumbly. Wondering if it was what I used or any suggestions?
Mine too!!! I made some substitutions so just wondering if it was that!
I made these for my 4 and 6 year old grandsons because they love blueberries, but it takes great skill to eat them because of the crumbly consistency. Loved the flavor, but too difficult to eat. As much as I dislike wasting food, I threw the double batch away.
I subbed green banana flour for the cassava and it turned out great :). They are dark though, lol look like bran muffins with blueberries on them. I like the moe hearty ness of them, never liked blueberry muffins because they didn’t feel you up and never ever liked white bread etc … whole wheat everything as a kid.
[…] Blueberry Muffin Bites from Gutsy By Nature *Jaime's created a baked good fellow Seinfeld fans would approve of! […]
Is there any substitute for cassava flour? I can’t find it anywhere in my part of the world.
I’m sorry, there really is not. You probably want to keep looking for recipes that utilize the flours you do have access to instead of trying to modify recipes. AIP baking is really tricky.
Is there a way to add bananas to this recipie?
You can order the cassava flour online.
You can order Cassava Flour from Otto’sNaturals from their website with free shipping; Amazon also carries it. I find this is the best cassava flour for AIP baking and I have tried several, good luck!
I searched through recipes on your site last evening. Thank you for sharing your nutritional creativity. I made the Blueberry Muffin Bites and really enjoy them. I, too, need portion control!
I ate 3 off the pan. I’m looking forward to trying some other of your offerings.
It’s so nice to have a baked snack and they are quick and easy to make! I am enjoying them. I used frozen blueberries that I thawed and then mixed gently into the batter. They turned out great. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
These are sooooo good! My son is allergic to apple so I used a pear/blueberry/banana baby food pouch instead of apples.
I am very excited that this recipe worked out!!
Made these today, I’d almost call them Blueberry Scones, the texture reminded me of that. Such a nice treat! My husband liked them too! Great idea to make them just a top, I agree, AIP muffins are always dense.
Is there a way to add bananas to this recipie?
I think you could experiment with using mashed banana in place of the apple sauce. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
I found out through the AIP diet that I’m actually severely sensitive to coconut (which I would otherwise never eat). All but the aminos seems to get to me. Do you know if I could substitute arrowroot flour or tigernut flour? And is there maybe an alternative to coconut oil?
Actually, forget tigernut. I just remembered that I react even more strongly to tigernut butter.
I made these today but added some cinnamon and used carob chips instead of blueberries. Some carob chip muffin tops to fight my chocolate cravings! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
[…] Blueberry Muffin Bites […]
[…] Blueberry Muffin Bites – Gutsy By Nature […]
Thanks so much for this clever recipe! Easy to make and even my non-AIP hubby likes them!
Yum! They remind me a little of shortbread cookies.
These came out amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. I did make my own apple sauce that I used on the recipe.
I love blueberries, and I’ll definitely try this recipe for Sunday snack. I’ll be adding lion’s mane mushroom powder for the extra protein and health boost!
These turned out pretty good! I actually cut down some on the coconut oil and used a little more applesauce. They’re a bit crumbly but the flavor is good. I didn’t have any fresh blueberries so I ran some frozen ones under warm water and they turned out fine. I used fresh strawberries on some of them and they turned out really well too! In fact, I think I like those just as well if not better! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I followed the recipe but the coconut oil basically didn’t incorporate. I used the grams measurements and I just noticed that not all the conversions seem to match up…? Am I wrong or should they be changed?