"Free" Cherry Muffins

We live in northern Michigan, on the outskirts of Traverse City - the Cherry Capitol, as it were. Naturally summer = fresh, juicy cherries. Yesterday, the girls and I picked cherries with their grandma. We had a great time eating cherries straight off the tree. I think Lily got more cherries in (and on) her than in her bucket. Aevryn was in the sling and started snagging some cherries for herself. She managed to get two cherries (including pits) before we decided perhaps she could sit on a blanket and hang out with some toys for awhile. Surprisingly, this worked out okay - but there were lots of interesting wildflowers all around to grab at and sniff.

At any rate, I have 17lbs of cherries in my house right now, so I am embarking an a Very Cherry culinary journey over the next few weeks. I am hoping to make cherry salsa, cherry jam, cherry preserves, cherry muffins and breads, dried cherries and frozen cherries.

Here is my recipe for our Cherry Breakfast Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups gluten free flour of your choice (I like to mix and match: today's muffins were sorghum and brown rice)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/3 cup safflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup rice milk
  
• 1 cup fresh, pitted sweet cherries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F (don't leave door ajar like I did today, somehow? Yikes!)
2. Mix flour(s), xanthan gum, soda & salt.
3. Add brown sugar, making sure it is mixed in very well.
4. Stir in oil, vanilla and rice milk.
5. Add fresh cherries and mix until evenly distributed.
6. Pour batter into greased muffin tins (we greased ours with coconut oil, yum!). For extra cherry goodness, put a pitted cherry on top of each muffin.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until muffins are golden around edges and feel set on top.
   

We like to cut ours in half and spread with coconut oil.

Yield: one dozen delicious muffins.

Alternatives:

• You can sub two eggs for the xanthan gum.
  
• Instead of rice milk & vanilla extract, you could use almond milk & almond extract.
  
• Instead of sugar, you can use honey or brown rice syrup or agave syrup (use 1/2 as much) or maple syrup.