Poor Elvis. A few not-so-great years, and how quickly we forget the amazing songs and movies from the first decade of his career! Though the math doesn’t add up (I’m only 29 . . . again), as a girl, I watched reruns of some of his happy-go-lucky movies such as Blue Hawaii and Jailhouse Rock. They were fun, innocent entertainment, which I think we need a little more of today. But the one thing I’ve always been curious about is whether Elvis really did eat peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwiches! This is vital information, and I think we need answers. In the meantime, here’s a Paleo nod to the King of Rock and Roll!
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
6 strips bacon
1 TBSP (15 ml) pure maple syrup
DRY INGREDIENTS
¾ cup almond flour
1/3 cup (720 ml) coconut flour, sifted
2 TBSP (30 ml) arrowroot starch
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
WET INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 overripe small bananas, mashed (about ½ cup)
½ cup coconut milk (if needed)
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
ADD-IN
½ cup almond butter or sunbutter
Makes 12 muffins
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Lay the bacon on a baking sheet. Drizzle maple syrup over each strip, and use your hands to spread it evenly.
Bake the bacon for 15 minutes. Flip the strips, and bake them for 5 more minutes or until the bacon is browned and cooked through but not too crispy.
Let the bacon strips cool on the baking sheet. Then crumble them into small pieces.
Meanwhile, make the muffins. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and bananas, and blend with a hand mixer until combined.
Slowly add the coconut oil to the bowl, and blend well. If the batter is runny, let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. If it’s too thick, add a small amount of coconut milk and blend again. It should look like a traditional muffin batter.
Line muffin tins with paper cups. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Spoon 1 TBSP (15 ml) almond butter into the center of each muffin, and push it gently into the center so that it is covered with batter.
Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the bacon pieces.
Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until they spring back when touched.
Let the muffins cool completely on wire racks.
Store the muffins in an airtight container, or freeze them until needed. Simply let them thaw to room temperature before eating.
More Recipes You'll Love
Elvis muffins take the king's famous banana-peanut-butter-and-bacon combination and bake it into a tender grain-free breakfast muffin. Maple-glazed bacon crowns each one, while a hidden spoonful of almond butter sits melted in the center. Sweet, salty, and completely justifiable at breakfast.
Pro Tips
- Take the bacon out of the oven while it is still slightly pliable. Strips baked until brittle shatter into dust instead of crumbling into those satisfying little pieces.
- Push the almond butter dollop gently below the batter surface so it stays a molten core instead of burning on top.
- Let the batter sit five minutes if it looks runny. Coconut flour keeps absorbing liquid, and the rest is often all it needs.
- Use bananas with plenty of brown spots. The riper the banana, the more sweetness you get without adding more maple syrup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Elvis muffins without the bacon?
Yes, though the bacon is what makes them Elvis muffins. If you skip it, add a small pinch of flaky salt over the tops before baking to keep the sweet-salty contrast.
Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter?
If you are not strictly paleo, peanut butter works in the same quantity and gives the most authentic Elvis flavor. Sunbutter keeps the muffins nut-free with a slightly earthier taste.
How do I freeze these muffins?
Cool them completely, then freeze in a single layer before bagging. They thaw to room temperature in about an hour, or you can microwave one for fifteen seconds.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- DRY INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
- 2 TBSP arrowroot starch
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon Pinch of sea salt WET INGREDIENTS
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 overripe small bananas, mashed (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup coconut milk (if needed)
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted ADD-IN
- ½ cup almond butter or sunbutter Makes 12 muffins Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lay the bacon on a baking sheet.
- Drizzle maple syrup over each strip, and use your hands to spread it evenly.
- Bake the bacon for 15 minutes.
- Flip the strips, and bake them for 5 more minutes or until the bacon is browned and cooked through but not too crispy.
- Let the bacon strips cool on the baking sheet.
- Then crumble them into small pieces.
- Meanwhile, make the muffins.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and bananas, and blend with a hand mixer until combined. Slowly add the coconut oil to the bowl, and blend well. If the batter is runny, let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. If it’s too thick, add a small amount of coconut milk and blend again. It should look like a traditional muffin batter.
- Line muffin tins with paper cups. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Spoon 1 TBSP almond butter into the center of each muffin, and push it gently into the center so that it is covered with batter.
- Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the bacon pieces.
- Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until they spring back when touched.
- Let the muffins cool completely on wire racks. Store the muffins in an airtight container, or freeze them until needed. Simply let them thaw to room temperature before eating.
