Gluten-Free Orange Spice Poppyseed Muffins

Loved the idea of this muffins...as well as the nutrition and flavour profiles...BUT..I do think the spice quotient needed to be doubled minimum! I doubled the vanilla as well...and added another heaping tablespoon of honey as Kate suggested..even so...they are really low on a sweet taste factor...The texture was fantastic however...and they rose well ...the instructions were very well given. Perhaps the French husband is a tad too used to his ultra-sweet 'Croissant aux amandes' ...and his 'review' of this recipe included "They taste like Eugene" (Oregon)...and his memories of health food muffins and breakfast fare!! He did love the texture/mouth feel...but was missing the 'decadent' feel of my usual Starbuck-Muffin type offerings! Personally...these felt so much better/digestible in my tummy and paired wonderfully with my homemade strawberry freezer jam. Thank you for easily executed recipe!

Question...Are these best warm...straight out of the oven...or can one make them the previous afternoon without too much 'damage'?!! Cannot wait to make these this weekend!!

Having been on a gluten free journey for several years now, I've learned that I prefer finely ground almond flour from skinned almonds, like Bob's Red Mill. It seems expensive, but because there's so much more protein, I don't eat the same amount as I used to have of a wheat flour baked goods. Almond flour is especially filling. So, instead of a whole muffin, think more like 1/2 a muffin in one sitting. Seriously, test this out because if you eat too much, it tends to sit like a rock in your stomach.
Another insight I have to share, having gone through numerous types of gf flour combinations including almond, coconut, etc., I have settled on a combination recommended by Silvana Nardone:
a mix of brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch and xanthan gum. (Usually people make a big batch of this mix, then dip into it to make breads, muffins, etc., as needed.)

I tried these with honey instead of agave and realized after they came out of the oven that I should have increased the honey to 3 Tbsps. Agave is 1.5 times sweeter than raw honey and the muffins suffered from this. They had a beautiful texture (something I rarely say about gluten free anything). This recipe is a keeper but I'll be bumping up the honey next time I make them. Just wanted to post this in case anyone else was thinking of switching to honey.

any idea of how many carbs this recipe has?

I was looking at the almond flour and there were 2 types - ground from raw with skins on almonds and ground from un-skinned and blanched almonds. Besides the nutritional value of the 1st, the 2nd type package says better for baking - makes cakes, etc lighter. Which did you use or would you recommend? At the price, I'm a little hesitant being on a shoestring budget after all :)

I love using oat flour when I bake....mixed with almond meal/gluten-free baking flour. I love poppy seeds and will have to try with the orange! Oh YUM!!

Just made these for my celiac son and they were a hit! I did use vegetable oil instead of the coconut oil as my daughter can sniff it out from a distance. Lovely orange flavor.

Do you think hazelnut meal would work in place of almond meal?

Does the coconut oil need to be melted?

Could I use honey in place of agave nectar? I have all the rest f the ingredients ...