Two things you need to know before I talk about Blueberry Lemon Muffins. I have never had anything other than coffee at Panera Bread. I am part of a Gluten Free Panera Dream Day food blogger event. So I guess you could say, if they started baking up healthy muffins like these you might find me ordering something other than coffee. I received my assignment quite a few weeks ago and just noticed that it says “Wild Blueberry Muffins.” I sassed my version up with lemon.
I was so excited when I stumbled upon those super cute July 4th cupcake toppers. Celebrations become even more fun with the smallest embellishments.
In case you are wondering, these are some of the best muffins I have ever had. Juicy blueberries meet bright lemon with the perfect crumb……each bite is blissful.
The Panera Dream Day event was founded and organized by the super awesome Marly from the vegan food blog Namely Marly. I have followed her delightful blog for sometime now and finally had the chance to meet her for real at BlogHer Food this past April. She is full of wisdom, wit and charm. Thanks for including me in this group!
Any opportunity to work with a group of great bloggers makes me happy and motivated. Love our community big time. Especially when it comes to creating recipes that feed a greater cause. Speaking of greater causes have you purchased your Peko Peko Charity Cookbook yet?
Coming together as a group hopefully we can change restaurant menus for the better. They also need to understand the importance of not cross contaminating foods, especially for folks who have strong sensitivities. For me bakery goods are not usually suitable because I am sugar free and I choose whole food ingredients over processed ones.
Do you have any plans for July 4th celebrations? How do you think we can best encourage restaurants to share uncontaminated gluten free foods?
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:235]
Participating Blogger Links
Join us on our Gluten-Free Dream Day by visiting these friends who have created gluten-free versions of Panera Bread Bar goodies. Maybe one day, bakeries around the planet will offer more gluten-free goodies for this growing demographic!
Bagels
- Allyson Kramer: Jalapeno Cheddar Bagel
Muffins
- MarlaMeridith.com: Wild Blueberry Muffins
- Oh She Glows: Apple Crunch Muffins
- Veggie Num Num: Pumpkin Muffin
- Multiply Delicious: Chocolate Chip Muffins
Scones
- Heather Strang: Orange Scones
Breakfast Sweets
- Namely Marly: Caramel Pecan Rolls
- Diet Dessert Dogs: Cinnamon Crumb Cake
Souffles
- Clean Green Simple: Spinach & Artichoke Souffle
Also, check out some other great Gluten-Free bloggers offering delicious recipes fro café-type bread bar items:
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls: The Sensitive Pantry
- Chocolate Chippers: Elana’s Pantry
- Dark Chocolate Brownies: The Gluten Free Goddess
- Pumpkin Muffins: Better Batter
- Carrot Muffins: My Real Food Life
- Crusty Rosemary and Kalmata Olive Bread Gluten Free Girl
- Blueberry Scones: Shortbread Bakery
- Strawberry Cupcakes Simply Gluten Free
Right now the only way to try all these gluten-free goodies is to make them yourself. But who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to pop into a place like Panera and enjoy one right from their menu. Mine are sugar free & whole grain too. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Gluten Free Muffins Recipe Links
- Blackberry Banana Coconut Muffin Bites Natural Noshing
- Double Chocolate Power Muffins All Day I Dream About Food
- Mango Muffins MarlaMeridith.com
- Matcha Green Tea Pistachio Muffins MarlaMeridith.com
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Healthy Green Kitchen
- Vanilla Lavandar Muffins with Honey Yogurt Icing Scandi Foodie
MarlaMeridith.com Disclosure: This post was in no way endorsed by Panera Bread. It is simply a concept by bloggers to encourage a companies awareness and growth.
[/donotprint]
I love this idea and all of the GF recipes you guys are sharing, I have a million blueberries in my refrigerator right now so I might need to get to work making these asap!
Kate you must try these…they will not disappoint! #addicted
What a great post! My GF mom is living with us right now, and breads are one of the things she misses most. I appreciate all of your links!
Great Lori, I bet you can bake up some awesome goodies for her. It is amazing how little I miss gluten when I bake GF. I often like these flours better and I am in love with that blanched almond flour. Low carb too 🙂
These are beautiful! I love how you put a fourth of july spin on them too…so creative! I will have to try the almond and oat flour combo, it sounds fantastic.
Angela, the almond oat combo yields the perfect crumb. It is the first time I combined the two & will now be doing that regularly. Gonna pop over & check out your vegan GF muffins now. So glad to participate in Dream Day with you.
I bet those muffins taste gorgeous! I really like that second picture.
Happy 4th of July!
Cheers,
Rosa
These muffins look fantastic. And, perfect for an upcoming GF weekend I’m planning! Thanks for sharing.
GREAT recipe, Marla. They look gorgeous and full of GF healthiness.
Hi Marla! I love these! These sound great and adore the 4th of July decorations you added.
Have a wonderful 4th weekend!
These look and sound delicious Marla!
and I’m a HUGE Panera fan (it’s actually called St. Louis Bread Co here) and I’m thrilled to here they are willing to work with you and other bloggers to come up with a GF menu – I think it’s a fantastic idea. – just one more thing to love about them!
These look amazing. Possibly the best GF mufffins I’ve ever seen. I love those flag picks-so cute!
I’m not American. That’s obvious. But I would celebrate with these muffins anytime! And i’ll probably come back and stalk this again. And again.
Oh great Mike! I hope you do come back and stalk these muffins again & again. They love company 😉
I would LOVE to try these… I am such a carb girl so to find a delicious gluten free muffin would be wonderful!!!!
I think these muffins could still be called wild. Kind of like kids use the word “sick” or “wicked” now days to mean totally cool. These muffins are really WILD! I love the combination of flavors with the lemon and blueberry. I agree with you – more cafes need to have healthy options like this one. By the way, I completely enjoyed meeting you at BlogHer too! Thank you for your kind words – I’m looking forward to the next time we get together already! Who knows, maybe there will be a nice little cafe nearby serving gluten-free (and healthy) muffins that we can snack on. Sounds like a nice dream!
Marly, OK we can go ahead and use the word “wild” then. Adds a playful twist. Hopefully next time we meet we can enjoy sweets and coffee on our own terms 😉
we have a nut allergy in our home….any substitutes to this recipe for the almond flour?
I am so glad you “sassed” these up with lemon. I love the combo of blueberry and lemon. Yum-O. I’ll be checking our Marley’s blog too. I went vegan for Lent this year and it was an interesting experience. I’ll be doing it again next year too. Thanks Marla
Allison, sassy is always the way to around here. I love big flavor! Cool that you went vegan for lent. That is great dedication & will power.
Fabulous! I love blueberries in anything, and muffins are a perfect vehicle. 🙂
These look so good. I’m thrilled that Panera is thinking bigger about its offerings and that you’re involved!
Thanks for the muffin mention! I love lemon and blueberry, I’ll have to try these! And your July 4th toppers are SOOO cute!
These look delicious! We are spending the 4th with family. There will be lots of great food!
I hope that as the demand increases, restaurants will begin to offer more gluten free items on their menus. I’d also love to see more unprocessed foods.
This is perfect for all the blueberries I have on hand right now. Lemon is the perfect flavor with blueberry. Great pictures as always. Come over and visit us today. We have a great chilled soup and a give away from the Fairy Hobmother.
Thank you, Marla for the mention! These muffins look absolutely gorgeous, I love the combination of blueberry and lemon!
As you might know we eat a lot of GF foods in our house as well…I love using oat flour or rice flour for our muffins – these look delish!
Marla, these look wonderful! I saw Angela posted about a Panera recreation today right before I read your post. I want to recreate things! What a fun event and idea! Well…trying to recreate GF things can be super challenging but I have 3 or 4 muffin recipes that are vegan and GF on my site. Not sure if they are a “recreation” of a Panera goodie, but hey, they work for me 🙂
What would work better is if I could dive in and eat one of your amazing muffins!! Lovely!
xoxo
Mmmm tasty muffins! Love these!
Ce frumos si ce prezentare viu colorata. Minunat!
What fantastic muffins–hard to believe they are gluten free! And such cute little party picks. 🙂
I love all of these ideas!! DELISH!
The muffins look so delicious and very patriotic!
Oh my, these look super delicious!! I love how they are overflowing with beautiful blueberries and the use of coconut milk, yum yum!!
Trudy, blueberries and coconut milk are certainly a winning pair 🙂
How funny that I read this post because I was just doing some research on Panera Bread because a friend of mine wants to meet there for breakfast. I was just so dissappointed that Panera doesn’t accommodate for the gluten-free community. 🙁 I am liking your idea!
Mmm I love the broken up muffin in your last picture. I would gladly take those crumbs off your hands 🙂 Love the recipe, Marla!
Lemon and blueberry are a magical combination.
Marla – love those 4th of July party picks! I’ve been baking gluten-free for my little guy, so glad to see such a nice collection of gluten-free recipes, including your tender looking blueberry lemon muffins. Happy 4th!
Happy 4th Jeanette. Think about how far the gluten free world has come. The flours are tastier than ever, easy to access and bake up perfectly. I am so happy we could all provide so many options for your son.
This sounds like a really fun event! Love the muffins…blueberry and lemon is such a classic combo. And I love the nutritious almond and oat flours in there!
Faith, that almond & oat flour combo is a match made in heaven 🙂 Happy 4th to you!
What a great re-creation! I bet these are even better than the Panera version.
Hi Lauren, being that I have never had their version & don’t plan on it I’ll never know. All I can tell ya is these are amazing 🙂 xo
Those muffins seem packed with flavours!
I love the idea of using pomegranate seeds to decorate. The more ways I can get some extra vitamins into my kids, the better!
Thanks Angie! Any chance I get to use pomegranate seeds I do. Love those things 🙂
I have a friend with celiac disease. Next time she comes to visit, I’ll have to make these!
These look GREAT, Marla! Planning on making them for my coworkers later this week. Keep the healthy, gluten-free baked goods coming!
These look so YUMMY! Wish I had some RIGHT NOW to go with my morning coffee! and I LOVE the fact that they are so good for you! and so darn cute!
Thanks so much Deeta! I wish I had some now too. Unfortunately I don’t have the ingredients here in my Utah hotel room 😉
They look yummy! I am going to try this recipe.
Have you ever tried to make these egg free as well? They sound amazing, but I need them egg free too. Applesauce, chia egg, flaxseed egg, or tapioca egg? Which do you think would go best?
Hi Wendy, I have not made them egg free. My first choice might be applesauce ~ but I cannot guarantee results. Let me know how they turn out if you try 🙂
Can I substitute reg flour for these 2 flours and can I substitute reg milk for this milk? Just wanting to find recipes using stevia at this point. Thx!
Hi Amy! I did not test this with those ingredients. Give it a whirl & let me know what happens.
tried these. they are crying out for oil (coconut/butter). I would add more lemon juice too.
Thanks so much for the feedback Tess!
Just made these this morning, and they are delicious! Almond flour is a bit too expensive for our budget so we used a 1:1 ratio of flax meal instead. I took Tess’s advice and added about a tablespoon of olive oil. So good!
ok.. so where is the nutritional info?? or am I missing it.
I’m allergic to almonds what flour can i use instead? I’m running into this problem a lot! My son is gluten free and dairy free and its kinda hard to find recipes that have neither of those and no almond flour! That said this recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it!!!
Hi Amanda….I’ve not tested this with anything other than the almond flour. Sorry 🙁
I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for the recipe