“The best baked goods to try gluten-free are ones that are already moist to begin with,” says pastry chef Ryan Butler to a group of eager listeners on a Thursday night at Butler’s Dumbo location in New York City. Following the success of the Williamsburg location, Butler and co-founders Rod Coligado and Hugo Murray have captured a larger space—and audience.
Below is Ryan Butler’s recipe for gluten-free sticky date muffins, crafted and edited from a cake recipe he often made at (the now-defunct) Piora. “I think the most important thing with gluten-free baking is that the [results] are just as good as regular items.”
Gluten-Free Sticky Date Muffins
Courtesy of Pastry Chef/Co-Owner Ryan Butler of Butler Bake Shop and Espresso Bar, Brooklyn, NYYields 4 to 6 muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brewed hot coffee
1 cup pitted dates
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup Muscovado or brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cups almond flour
1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend
Pinch of salt
Method
1. Preheat the 190 degree Celcius
2. Add the hot coffee and dates to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Stir in the baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a spatula until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the almond flour, gluten-free flour blend and salt until fully incorporated. Once fully mixed, fold in the date and coffee mixture.
4. Pour the batter into desired molds and bake for 15 minutes or until done.
Pro tip: Gluten-free baking sometimes takes longer to bake than non-gluten-free recipes.
Photo courtesy of Butler Bake Shop and Espresso Bar.
