Muffin in a Mug-- Gluten-Free!

Sweet "crockpot lady" Stephanie O'Dea is always looking for a way to make the gluten-free life easier, and here she has hit a home-run. Basically a riff on the old cake-in-a-mug recipe, this little number bakes up a quick, hearty gluten-free breakfast after just a minute of mixing and a minute in the microwave. It's also low in sodium, sweetener, and has just enough fat to make it toothsome.

 Here's her original post, rejigged a little for mixing ease, and followed by my flavor changes in the notes.



Muffin in a Mug, by Stephanie O'Dea (adapted slightly by Mari Kozlowski)


The Ingredients:


1/4 cup flax meal

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon ( sometimes I use pumpkin pie seasoning)

1 egg

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoons sweetener, I use honey

1 tablespoon fresh or frozen blueberries (or smashed banana, shredded apple, etc)

hearty coffee mug sprayed with cooking oil*

microwave


The Directions:

Put the first 3 ingredients into a large glass measuring cup or small bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the next three ingredients-- no need to melt the butter or get it to dissolve–if it’s still in a clump, it’s okay. 

Now stir in the blueberries or whatever fruit you’re using. Pour into a greased coffee mug and microwave on high for 1 minute.
Let it sit for a bit, then pour onto a plate; or you can just eat it out of the mug with a spoon. It should appear mostly dry on top, and have pulled away from the sides of the mug a bit. The butter will have melted and made a tiny bit of a “sauce” with the melted blueberries. YUM.

The Verdict:

This is a pretty customizable recipe; feel free to swap out the honey with splenda, agave, brown sugar, etc. There isn’t a drop of flour, making this a naturally gluten free muffin, and if you use non dairy butter it could certainly be dairy-free and I’m imagining an egg-replacer would work okay. If you change up the ingredients and it works, let me know!

*Mari's notes-- I greased my mug with butter, and used a generous Tbsp of grated apple, with maple syrup to sweeten, along with apple pie spice. Came out as a hearty whole-grain tasting muffin that has no grain! And pretty good and filling. I didn't get a "sauce" effect, as she does with frozen blueberries, but it was unsweet enough for me to be happy dolloping on a bit more syrup. It takes a minute to mix, a minute to cook, and a minute or less to sit and set-- that is one quick, nutritious breakfast muffin!

 Hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you riff on it, please let me know what you do, and how it worked out. I'd love to post your version.

 Peace, Mari