Faux Cornbread!
Yes, Paleo Cornbread is an unabashedly explicit oxymoron.
But if you call this cheese, then this deserves the title cornbread. Plus, these taste uncannily like cornbread to me (I’m sure I can’t say as much for that cheese). I find the cornbread similarity shocking, these muffins are completely devoid of corn and grains.
I must offer a disclaimer, though… it’s been a long time since I’ve had real cornbread, so my perception is a bit skewed.
For simplicity’s sake
I’ve had numerous readers tell me they simply call these “coconut flour muffins” to avoid questions from family members like, “why are you calling these corn-free muffins cornbread?”
So call them what you will– Paleo Cornbread or Coconut Flour Muffins. The main point here is that these are insanely simple and ridiculously tasty.
Warm Paleo Cornbread Muffins To Beat the Blues
I did not have a great day yesterday. My bedroom sprung two leaks in the ceiling and now my floor is covered with soggy bath towels and half the pots in the kitchen. I had to spend the night in the freezing downstairs office and didn’t sleep at all. Then, Mom and I got in a huge fight over something I can’t even remember and on top of that I lost my favorite piano book and started sobbing on the couch.
I certainly hope you had a better Halloween!
Anyway, I needed something to cheer me up this morning. So I made these Paleo Cornbread Muffins! Worked like a charm. After all, nothing is more comforting than jamming your face with warm “faux-cornbread” smothered with copious gobs of honey and melting butter. And then I remembered that I shared a picture of these muffins ages ago on Facebook and thought it was about time I shared the recipe.
Need coconut flour? Here is my favorite coconut flour at the best price.
Paleo Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- (Double recipe if desired)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, butter or real lard, liquified
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tbs. raw honey
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line 6 muffin cups with liners. Mix together the coconut flour and oil until smooth, then beat in the eggs until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Divide between the prepared cups and bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
http://empoweredsustenance.com/paleo-cornbread-muffins/
Paleo Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- (Double recipe if desired)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, butter or real lard, liquified
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tbs. raw honey
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line 6 muffin cups with liners. Mix together the coconut flour and oil until smooth, then beat in the eggs until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Divide between the prepared cups and bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Eat well and heal!™
Do you think it is ethical to call these corn-free muffins “cornbread” or congealed almond milk “cheese”? Do you have a favorite recipe with a similarly oxymoronic name?
shared at: Simple Lives Thursday, Keep It Real Thursday, Whole Foods Friday, Freaky Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Sunday School, Make Your Own Monday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Healthy 2day, Party Wave Wednesday, Grateful GAPS
Yum…thanks for the recipe….I made some faux cornbread using almond flour a couple of weeks ago…looking forward to trying this recipe out!
That sounds good, too! I hope you enjoy this recipe!
If I don’t eat eggs, can I substitute chia/ flax? It looks so yummy, love that it is nut free!
Melissa, I’m so sorry but flax/chia eggs don’t work with 100% coconut flour recipes. I have been working on a 100% coconut flour cookie using gelatin as an egg replacement and I will post it as soon as it is perfected.
I an curious if you’ve posted the coconut flour cookie recipe using gelatin? I am egg allergic, and am awaiting a celiac test…so am starting to research gluten free egg free recipes…
Yep, use the search bar in my side bar and put in, “Grain Free Chewy Ginger Cookies.”
Looks great girl! For some reason I’ve never enjoyed coconut flour, but these look so moist, I may have to give it another shot!
Yeah, coconut flour can be finicky and can produce dry, crumbly results. The eggs, honey, and applesauce work together to create a moist, sturdy muffin in this recipe! I hope you enjoy!
You may have just save my Thanksgiving, LOL! Do you think these would work as a substitute for cornbread in stuffing? I’ve been tasked with making Thanksgiving dinner for my in laws and the only thing I’ve not yet figured out a suitable paleo-ized recipe for is the cornbread stuffing.
I’ve just been asked about using this in stuffing on Facebook. I believe it would work, but I would HIGHLY recommend trying a small sample batch before making this for Thanksgiving.
I have paleo “oatmeal” all the time! It is so incredibly delicious and waay more satisfying than regular oatmeal. Its made of eggs and obviously contains no eggs but really what else are you supposed to call it? Egg custard? No, that’s been taken. Egg porridge? I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound terribly appetizing to me. The point of naming things the same is to emphasize that they elicit the appearance and even taste of regular favorites while still being healthy.
LOL about the “egg porridge”! I think Paleo Oatmeal is a much more attractive title
I’m glad you see my point about naming something so people have an idea of what to expect.
These just came out of the oven… I made 6, and 3 are already gone
They are similar to corn bread for sure, but I wouldn’t say they’re that close. Either way, they are fantastic! I smeared them with apple butter, and I’m debating if I’ll go back for a 4th one.
Well, maybe it’s been so long since I’ve eaten cornbread that my perspective is slightly skewed
I’m glad you see the similarity, though! Mmmm… apple butter on top sounds yummy!
I might also be overly spoiled… I can tolerate corn as a treat, and I live in Texas…
On a side note, I want to give you props on the creativity of your recipes. I just found your site the other day (through your post on Civilized Caveman) and I’ve been really impressed so far. Keep ‘em coming!!
Well, as long as you can eat corn occasionally you had better be enjoying real Texas cornbread! I will be the first one to admit that these coconut flour muffins don’t compare to that
And thank you for your kind words! That is so encouraging to hear, and I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi,
Looks good. Is the applesauce necessary?
Thanks,
Kristina
You could substitute with an equal amount of mashed banana, pumpkin puree or squash puree. But it does need that tablespoon of something for moisture.
What about just adding a tablespoon of almond milk for moistness? Have all of the other ingredients and don’t really want to go to the store just for 1T.
This is super creative! Thanks for sharing Lauren. And I LOVE the Triple D. I watch it often as I get little tips for how to make awesome food.
Thanks! And I love the tips on Triple D, too! I don’t know why it is so entertaining to watch Guy eat those huge burgers and sandwiches, but it is!
You poor thing!! What a terrible day! I’m glad these muffins made you feel better. They would make ANYONE feel better, the recipe is gorgeous. I thought for sure I was going to see some almond flour in there (as my husband always comments that my almond flour muffins taste so much like cornbread). But over the last 4 months I haven’t been eating ANY nut flour (I just can’t digest it). So these will be our muffins/bread rolls this thanksgiving. Excellent recipe! Thank you, thank you!
Hope things are looking up for you.
Hugs,
–Amber
Thanks, Amber! I’m having a much better day, thanks for asking! I can’t digest nut flour right now, either, so coconut flour baked goods are a life saver. I’m excited to hear that these have reserved a spot on your Thanksgiving table! Have a great weekend!
Lauren! These look AMAZING! Well done for creating such a wonderful healthy muffin! Cornbread isn’t something we eat in the UK anyway so I guess its quite OK to call them “cornbread! Why not if the texture’s the same!!!
So sorry to hear you had a rotten day! Hope everything’s much better now.
x
Thanks, Vicky!
these look terrific! I’m picking up two dozen grassfed organic eggs on Friday and I’ll give them a whip after that! And I looked at the ingredients in that “cheese” if there is milk protein in it, why not just eat the real deal anyway? I never understood rice cheese and soy cheese. Now… if you’ve ever had Dr. Cow Tree Nut cheeses that’s a different story. They age it to perfection and ooooooh my oh my! I cannot tolerate dairy at all, and that “cheese” is a real treat.
I do miss cornbread
I grew up on cornbread made from freshly ground corn…. it was incredible. My mouth is salivating just looking at your pictures.
Oh my… I don’t think this can compete with real cornbread from freshly ground corn, but I hope this satisfies your cornbread cravings!
I had the exact same thought about the milk protein in the cheese!! I’ve never tried the tree nut cheese you recommended… it sounds interesting and I’m going to try to find it!
So close to a nut free and egg free one, I was almost thrilled!!
Sorry… that is a super tough combination. I’m working on a nut free, egg free cookie recipe. In the meantime, you could try Jennifer’s banana bites.
Can’t wait to try these!
Hope you enjoy them!
Just made a batch of these and they are so good! Thank you very much for posting the recipe.
Thanks for coming back to comment! I’m so happy to liked them!
Is there any way to make these without using coconut flour? I don’t do well at all with it
No, I’m sorry
Just shared on FB! Yummo!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Lauren can you sub the coconut flour for almond flower for this recipe? They sound wonderful!
Sorry, no. Both flours are kind of finicky and there isn’t a simple substitution for them.
That’s ok, I just have almond flour so I thought I’d ask. Would you know where can I buy coconut flour for a good price? Thanks for the recipe, cant wait to try it!
That I do know
Vitacost.com has a few brands of coconut flour at discounted prices (plus free shipping over $50 and huge discounts on natural living things… I love that store!). I think the Edward and Sons brand is the cheapest, and I always get that one. I love it! I just ordered 5 bags of it the other day.
Thank you! I’m going to check it out right now! =)
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
What a great idea to use coconut flour to make these. THey look really yummy. Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday!
Just in time for my GAPS-curious mom’s visit! As far as ethics go, corn is actually called maize everywhere else in the world. Corn actually used to refer to wheat, or any grain used to make bread. Corn also refers to the salt grains used in “corned” beef. So actually, the term corn is almost appropriate here. You are such a creative cook!
I’m happy to hear that you are interested in learning more about GAPS! And thank you for the history lesson in corn terminology… very interesting!
Thanks for sharing these on the Grateful GAPS Holiday Foods Blog Hop!. I saw this a while ago but forgot about it, so I’m really glad for the reminder. I even have everything on hand to make it. My sweetie LOVED corn bread before we went on GAPS so I’m going to surprise her with these and see what she thinks
Joy
Great recipe! Only, don’t use honey for baking. It becomes toxic when cooked. Try coconut sugar instead.
I certainly don’t agree that honey is toxic when cooked–is just looses some of the enzyme action from the raw honey. Plus, it is the only sweetener allowed on GAPS/SCD. I think coconut sugar is a great option if you aren’t following those diets. If you make the substitute in this recipe, you’ll have to compensate for the loss of liquid. Try adding a few more teaspoons of applesauce.
I was curious would this recipe be capable of a loaf? I’d love to use this in my Paleo Stuffing for thanksgiving. But wasn’t sure if this is enough for a loaf or if you think i’d need to double the recipe for that? Since you’ve seen how much batter it makes figured it’s safe to ask before i use these expensive (at least for my family) ingredients to find out lol
If you are just going to cube it for stuffing, I’d suggest at least doubling the recipe and just baking it in muffin tins, then cubing the muffins. I’m sure it would work in a loaf pan, I just don’t know how long it would cook. If you do bake it in a regular loaf pan, I would actually triple the recipe.
I just want to put the disclaimer out there that I haven’t tried this in stuffing… so no guarantees. I know coconut flour is expensive, so it is a bummer when an experiment with it flops. Maybe you could try making a mini trial run before the big day?
ahh okay thanks for your response. I’m not sure i could afford to use this for stuffing than, but thanks for sharing, it’ll be a nice weeknight treat with some pork chops and greens to bring back those memories of being a lil girl in Louisiana.
I have a lovely, nourishing grass fed beef stew on for dinner, and I thought these would be a great companion to pair with it. I just finished making them, and I had to try one straight out of the oven. I am in heaven! They are so good. I’ve always had a weakness for cornbread, and now I’ve found my healthy substitute. Thank you so much for this recipe, and everything you offer.
Thanks for coming back to comment! I’m so glad you enjoy these and they sound like a perfect match for your stew!
Just made two batches of these. One with butter and one with coconut oil. Hubby says (and I agree), the butter one tastes like cornbread the coconut oil one tastes more like regular muffins. Either way, we enjoyed them all, thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing the butter vs. coconut oil verdict!! Good to know!
Made these today and my family devoured them. Bad news since they were meant for thanksgiving, TOMORROW! Oh well!
Don’t make my mistake, add room temp eggs! Either way, they were still delish!
* Note: I added cold eggs into the mixture and it solidified my coconut oil.
So glad you and your family enjoyed them! Yes–I made the same mistake with the cold eggs. The room temperature eggs are important!
Lisa – you said the one with butter tasted more like cornbread. Do you remember if you used salted or unsalted butter?
I’m so excited for the gelatin as an egg sub directions!!!
Hi Melissa! I don’t think the gelatin egg will work in this recipe. Are you talking about the gelatin egg substitute I use in Chewy Ginger Cookies? I specifically designed that recipe to work with the gelatin. I’m sorry if you were planning to use the gelatin instead of the eggs here
100% coconut flour recipes are very picky and almost always require real eggs.
Hi Lauren,
My Sister has Ulcerative Colitis, so we’re trying the GAPS diet to get her off the meds. I’m looking forward to having these “cornbread” muffins… they look so tasty! I thought we were only going to be able to eat meat and juice! Thanks for the recipe!
I am sure GAPS will make a difference for your sister… After 2 weeks on the diet, my ulcerative colitis symptoms were gone! And I’m so glad this recipe will make the diet a bit more delicious for you both! Blessings and prayers for your sister’s healing
I just made the batter and the batter is VERY dry and not moist at all…I’m not sure if I ought to add more sauce or milk to it….or bake it dry as is…I’m afriad if I bake it so dry it will come out very dry…hmm.
Hi Rachel! Yes, the batter is rather stiff and will be even more stiff if the ingredients were cold. If you followed the recipe exactly, then they should work out. I wouldn’t recommend adding more liquid because it can make the muffins dense. Hope this helps!
I am baking these right now to go along with my non- paleo chilli and if the batter is any indication, these will be delish! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the recipe! I subbed the applesauce for organic jarred sweet potato purée (baby food) because it was what I had. I also just tossed all the ingredients in my Vitamix – I’ve found coconut flour recipes do well in blenders. The house smells great!
Making these tonight! I’m planning to sub out the applesauce due to an apple allergy. Thinking I need to sub out the apple cider vinegar as well due to the same reason. Any thoughts on substitutions? I have rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and regular white vinegar. I didn’t realize we had so much vinegar in the house until I just wrote it all out!
How come after I put the eggs into the coconut flour and coconut oil it all went crumbly?
The texture changes after adding the eggs, but they will still be delicious when baked! Also, if the eggs are cold, they will make the fat in the batter seize up. I’ll add in the directions for the eggs to be room temp. But it’s fine if that happens, they will still bake well.
OMG!!!!! I just made these this afternoon to go along with my homemade chili. These are the best!!! I can’t say enough good things about these muffins!!! I had to cut the recipe in half since I only had one egg left after baking all week!!!
So I made 2 nice size muffins. My hubby loves these!!!! What a huge compliment they were to my chili!!! Next time I will be making a full batch…maybe even double it! We will be enjoying these scrumptious little muffins a lot in the future! Thank you soooo much for sharing!!!!! By the way….the other half of my muffin somehow founds it’s way into my hubby’s mouth!! LOL!!!
These are amazing. Even my husband, who is not a GAPSter, loves them and he normally doesn’t like “faux” foods.
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I made this recipe and while it sort of came out okay…my oil and 1/4 cup conconut flower did not make a “paste.” I just wanted to verify the 1/4 cup on the coconut flower is correct.
Thanks!
Yeah, the 1/4 cup is right. I’m sorry you weren’t wowed by these
Were the eggs and fat at room temp? Also, the way the coconut flour is measured makes a difference. It’s the “dip and sweep” method, not packed into the measuring cup.
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I have made these a couple times and really liked them. My husband and three year old daughter enjoyed them too. We are new to this style of eating, and with the little one’s birthday today, I wanted to stick as closely as possible to what we have been doing. I made her a “carrot cake” at her request by doubling this recipe and adding carrot and raisins to the batter. I made a cream cheese frosting at home, and everyone really liked the cake. I was really happy that I could give her what she wanted and still have it be reasonably healthy as well as easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
These are the fluffiest coconut muffins I’ve made & I’ve tried so many recipes! My 4 year old loved them, she dipped them in honey
. I added a little cinnamon. Delish!
FYI, these make really good blueberry muffins!! I’ve made these several times without, but this last time I added a cup of frozen berries to a double batch, and they turned out awesome!! I don’t know how long they baked, I’m sure it was longer than suggested. I just pulled them out when they were a nice golden brown on top. My one-year-old and I polished off a dozen in just 2 or 3 days… yikes…
Thanks for the recipe!
Wow! These are phenomenal. I made them for my young daughter who is on the GAPS diet but had to sample one. So good! I am planning on serving them alongside her soups & as “bread” for sliders! Think they would be great for breakfast sliders as well, with fried egg or homemade sausage. Yum!
Hey love your sight! I am from Texas grew up on cornbread from scratch but NEVER had sugar in it! First time I had sugar cornbread was in Washington State, it shocked me! Anyway no sugar is good thing! I am also very allergic to corn so haven”t had any for yrs.
Would love to have some fluffy muffins not sweet. Any ideas?
Thanks for sharing so much with us!
You could try substituting the applesauce with mashed pumpkin or mashed butternut/acorn squash. Replace the honey with an equal amount of yogurt or coconut milk. I grew up in Washington, so that’s probably why I make sweet cornbread
I don’t know if this fake cornbread will measure up to your Texan standards, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!
Lauren,
I need a little help. New at grain free cooking. I made the muffins and mix was very dry. I know coconut flour is very absorbent. What type of liquid do I need to add to get less thick batter?
Thanks
Lauren, I just tried these for the first time tonight as the recipe I had been using for faux cornbread muffins using coconut flour could not be found and I LOVE THEM!! I’ve been reading things in your emails and on you website for several months now and have used your recipe for crockpot whole chicken and broth as well as others! Thank you so much for your efforts in making great tasting, healthy and healing recipes!! I didn’t have applesauce so used a little great lakes gelatin in its place, they turned out great!
Hi,
I tried to sign up for your newsletter, but it wouldn’t let me for some reason. Can you help?
thanks.
Alison
I made this recipe TWICE in 2 days for only me and my husband…it is THAT GOOD! I add chia seeds to include more omega 3, on some, i top with almond flakes, on others, dried raisins… YUMMY!
Thank you so much for sharing… will be using more of your other recipes!
My three picky children loved these. I have one obsessed with cornbread, and she raved about them. My grain-eating mother was visiting, and she loved them. These are an all-around hit.
I made these last week. Turned out pretty good, but a little dry. My daughter ate them though. Wondering if I should add a little more applesauce or cook them a little less time next time?
Thanks! Loving all your recipes!
I was going through some of my REALLY old, pre-paleo recipes over the weekend, cleaning out and getting rid of recipes I would never consider making. I got rid of my favorite Paula Deen cornbread recipe, thinking to myself, “I did used to really love cornbread….” as I tossed the recipe into the recycling bin. How great to stumble upon this recipe!! Can’t wait to try it!
Yum! I cannot wait to try these! They look amazing…
One semi-oxymoronic recipe that I recently made was a paleo potato salad. I used a combination of turnips and sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and it turned out pretty well. The recipe will be up on my own blog soon.
Made these tonight and they were lovely (didn’t last long though!)
I like that you call it cornbread. That way it came up when I googled paleo cornbread! Because you have to have paleo cornbread with paleo chili! Thanks!
Holy smokes, these are delicious! I just pulled my batch out of the oven and I’m having to hold back on helping myself to a third. I didn’t have any honey on hand, so I subbed some coconut sugar and a 1/2 Tbs of water. I also added a pinch of salt, nutritional yeast and rosemary. They’re perfect! I’m so excited that I found this recipe. I’m from Texas and I know good cornbread, but I haven’t been able to eat it for years. These are a perfect substitution. Thank you!
Lauren, I just made these for the first time today and they are really good. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been trying quite a few recipes lately that I can make ahead and take with us on vacation. These will definitely go with us.
What it’s the nutritional content–calories,fat,carbs ect
Thankyou for this recipe!!!! They Are so good!! I subbed mashed banana for the applesauce, and they are so darn good, I just poked down 3! And easy to make!
I loved this recipe! I am doing no grains right now and the other night when we did chili I wanted something to eat while the rest of my family had cornbread (one of my favorites of course!). I was so pleased with these – and as someone who HAS had cornbread in the past month, these were remarkably close in flavor! So interesting seeing as they don’t have corn!
They tasted especially delicious warm with raw honey spread on them. My entire family loved them. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!