This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
These Gluten-Free Blackcurrant Muffins with White Chocolate and Thyme are the perfect balance of tangy and sweet with the gentle earthiness of thyme.
Blackcurrants are seriously underrated. Their beautifully sweet yet tart pop in the mouth takes me straight back to my childhood like no other fruit. They used to grow all over our garden when we were growing up and my father would help my sister and I gather handfuls upon handfuls. This took some time, blackcurrants are particularly tiny. We wouldn’t do anything more complicated than pluck them diligently from our tiny hands and eat them straight. They needed no sugar maceration, cream or crumble to do them justice. They really are a perfect little currant.
I'm so happy if I get the chance to make these fantastic blackcurrant muffins before the season is out as they celebrate this gorgeous fruit in all its glory.
Table of contents
Why you'll love these Blackcurrant Muffins
- The sharp sweet tang of this season's blackcurrants - this is the perfect recipe for them.
- Have you ever had thyme in a sweet bake? It's sweet floral notes are such a revelation, particularly in combination with sweet creamy white chocolate.
- Perfectly moist and fluffy thanks to the right blend of gluten-free flours.
- Quick to bake up and delicious warm when the white chocolate is all melty in the muffin.
Which gluten-free flours to use
These little blackcurrant cakes are made with a perfectly balanced blend of alternative flours:
- Sweet rice flour - adds fluffiness and the bind so that the muffins are not crumbly. READ MORE >>> Ultimate Guide to Sweet Rice Flour
- Gluten-free oat flour - is added for its neutrality and slight butterscotch aroma. READ MORE >>> Ultimate Guide to Oat Flour
- Potato starch - a light starchy flour which gives bakes a great rise. Plus it evens out the stickiness of the sweet rice flour and the burst of moisture from the blackcurrants.
It's worth noting that potato starch is often sold incorrectly - sometimes it's labelled as potato flour so do check with the supplier. They are very different ingredients.
SHOP THE FLOURS >>> Gluten-Free Sweet Rice Flour, Gluten-Free-Oat Flour, Gluten-Free Potato Starch
The resulting blackcurrant muffins are beautifully light and fluffy and holds together exceedingly well, especially considering all the add-ins thrown at it.
Ingredients needed
- Gluten-free flours. Oat flour, sweet rice flour, potato starch
- Blackcurrants. You can use frozen.
- White chocolate chips. I recommend Callebaut White Chocolate Chips.
- Fresh thyme. If you can't get fresh thyme then leave it out but don't use dried thyme.
- Sugar. Light brown sugar and caster sugar are used here for good flavour, moisture and texture.
- Eggs. This recipe was tested with medium eggs at 60g each.
- Olive oil. Use mild light and flavourless. Or substitute with rapeseed oil.
- Milk. You can use whole milk or a non-dairy alternative.
- Vanilla extract. Use a good brand, I like Nielsen Massey
- Baking powder. Needed for a good rise. Make sure your brand is gluten-free.
- Salt. I recommend kosher salt for a soft flavour.
How to make Gluten-Free Blackcurrant Muffins
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl
- Then whisk the wet ingredients together in another bowl
- Add them together and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the blackcurrants and white chocolate chips.
- Pour into muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Baker's Tip: As soon as your muffins have baked then remove them straightaway from the muffin tin. The residual heat of the tin will encourage the cases to pull away from the muffins if you don't.
These Blackcurrant Muffins really let their component ingredients shine, they are the perfect late summer treat and a testament to the blackcurrant which is definitely one of my favourite fruits of the summer.
Flavour variations
I have also made these muffins with blackberries or fresh cranberries in place of the blackcurrants. The cranberries are particularly good and festive for later on in the year.
Other recipes you may like
- Vanilla Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins {gluten-free}
- Gooseberry Custard Friands {gluten-free}
- Blackberry Cheesecake Hazelnut Oat Bars {gluten-free}
If you make these Blackcurrant Muffins with White Chocolate and Thyme then please leave a comment and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free Blackcurrant Muffins with White Chocolate and Thyme
Ingredients
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 g soft light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 125 ml light olive oil - not extra virgin and the lightest blend you can find
- 250 ml whole milk
- 20 g thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g oat flour
- 180 g sweet rice flour
- 40 g potato starch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 150 g white chocolate chips
- 150 g blackcurrants
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F and prepare a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin liners.
- Place the sugars, eggs, olive oil, milk, thyme and vanilla in a large bowl and beat together until smooth.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat together until smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and the blackcurrants until evenly dispersed.
- Divide the batter into muffin cases, filling to just below the top.
- Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until risen and the blackcurrants are bursting out.
- Remove the muffins from the tin straight away to cool on a wire rack.
- Drizzle with extra melted white chocolate if you like.
Notes
- When you remove the muffins from oven immediately take them out of the tin to cool on a rack, otherwise the residual heat can make the cases pull away from the muffins.
- I have also made these muffins with blackberries and fresh cranberries in place of the blackcurrants. The cranberries are particularly good and festive for later on in the year.
- This recipe is heavily adapted from Paul A Young’s White Chocolate and Thyme Muffins from his brilliant book Adventures with Chocolate
- Eggs. The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g each with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
Leave a Reply