Preheat oven to 400

​2 cups cherries, frozen or fresh, pitted and cut in half
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract (could also use Amaretto, bourbon, liqueur, or other alcohol, but almond extract is a nice support to the toasted almonds)
 
1 ½ cups rolled oats (quick oats are best, instant will do)
1 cup mixed flour (can use whole wheat, I use ½ cup of coconut flour and ½ cup brown rice flour)
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
 
1/3 cup agave nectar (not syrup)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg or 1/3 cup egg whites
1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
4 Tbsp olive oil
 
1 ½-2 cups of slivered or chopped almonds, which will be toasted (see below)
 

1. Mix together cherries and extracts, allow them to soak while doing the rest of the cooking
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl
3. Mix together nectar, syrup, egg, yogurt and oil in a large bowl
4. Add dry into wet, mixing thoroughly, and let this sit for at least 5-10 minutes (this gives you the nice crown to the muffin, and keeps it from being either too dry or too moist)
5. Toast the almonds on a cookie sheet in the preheating oven, checking on them every 2 minutes or so – they go from perfect to burned very quickly. They should be lightly browned and smell toasted. Let them cool.
6. Once the batter has rested and the almonds are toasted and cooled a bit, add the almonds to the batter and then the cherries with the extracts and carefully fold the nuts and cherries into the batter.
7. Spray the muffin pans with Pam or oil them. This recipe makes 12 big or 18 medium muffins.
8. Spoon batter into pans, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until brown on top and cooked inside.
9. Let the cooked muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then take them out of the pan.

Enjoy!

Oven preheated to 400 degrees
Hands-on time = 15 minutes,
Cooking time = 30-35 minutes
 
Combine             
2 cups oats (quick cooking)
1/2 cup flour (whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa or/and coconut flours)
1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp dried ginger
1 Tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
 
Combine
 2 eggs or equivalent in egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup molasses
½ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 large can of pumpkin puree (29 oz)
 
1. Mix wet into dry ingredients. Let the mix sit for at least 5 minutes so oats can soak up moisture - this will produce a nice texture and a good crown to the muffins.

2. Fold in 2 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional).

3. Spray muffin tins with oil, or butter them and spoon in batter. Makes 18-24 muffins with nuts, 15-18 without.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes until brown on top.

5. Let them cool in the pans 5 minutes, then remove from pans.