every christmas morning, for as long as i can remember my brother and i would wake up, go downstairs and find a full spread of cookies and fruit on the coffee table in our living room. as a child i was so excited to rip through my presents and see what santa left me that i didn't pay much mind to what was on the table. but as i got older i appreciated the quiet morning with my family sitting around and enjoying each others company. through the years the cookie-filled coffee table transformed into a more substantial morning meal which included eggs and on occasion my dad's pancakes. my mom and i looove irish soda bread, so much so that we have made it a new tradition to add it to our christmas morning routine. last year i attempted a gluten free version of it using oat flour with a so-so result (i'm not giving up on this, it's still a work in progress!); it resembled a somewhat large disk, much like a hockey puck. this year i tested a series of soda bread's all yielding a very dry and crumbly bread. then there was one morning when i had all of 1 egg left, i thought to myself that if this didn't work i would wait until another time to attempt the bread again. i mixed my wet ingredients into the dry, i stirred and stirred but the dough was more of a batter, i tasted the raw batter, and it was too good to throw away. i knew that if something could contain the runniness of the batter it could possible be good. so i grabbed my muffin tin, threw some liners in and baked those little effers up!
these are truly my favorite muffins, like ever! they're a little different than a traditional soda bread in that a) they're in muffin form (duh), and b) they're super moist. the coconut milk lends a rich and velvety texture, while the apple cider vinegar gives them that buttermilk tang. while i'm not a big fan of fried fruit, i do love me some currants, especially when they've been soaking in bourbon whiskey and get all plump and boozy. we have a distillery just around the corner from us called Cacao Prieto, and they've got some pretty epic liquor. we have a little bottle of their house-made bourbon sitting around for special occasions. what's a better occasion than to use it to booze-up christmas morning baked goods!? i know these cannot compare to some of crazy beautiful cookie or holiday cakes out there, but if you share my appreciation for soda bread you may understand my utter excitement over these! wishing you all a very happy holiday! peace + love xo
soda bread muffins w/ whiskey soaked currants (gluten free + dairy free)
makes 10 muffins
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 arrowroot flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 organic egg
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 dried currants
- 1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey
instructions
- place dried currant in a small bowl with the whiskey, soak for at least an hour, until currants are plump and most of the liquid is gone
- preheat oven to 350°, grease or line muffin tin to hold 10 muffins
- in a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until combined
- in a large measuring cup combine the coconut milk with the vinegar and let the mixture rest for 5-7 minutes - until bubbles form on the surface. once bubbles have formed, whisk in the egg and the soaked currants
- add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to combine. fill 10 muffin holders 3/4 of the way up. bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean
- let the muffins cool a bit, eat while warm and enjoy with a cozy cup of tea (or some more bourbon)