Gilmore Girls’ actress Lauren Graham dishes on her favorite fall baking recipe. – Photo courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill
If ever there was a character who understood the importance of a good snack and a well-timed neighborly checkup, it would be Lorelai Gilmore. So it tracks that Lauren Graham — the actress behind the beloved character, who spent seven seasons (plus a revival!) fueling Stars Hollow on coffee and takeout — is teaming with Bob’s Red Mill to get us all a little closer to the people next door. And doing lots of baking in the process — just in time for “Gilmore Girls fall,” no less!
The occasion? National Good Neighbor Day, which is celebrated today, September 28, with Bob’s Red Mill commemorating the holiday via a charming Moregetherness campaign; the idea of the campaign (which Graham is the face of) being that you make something, share it, and see what happens — perhaps discovering a new friendship along the way.
Graham’s contribution is a must-try cozy season recipe, which comes in the form of her Gluten Free Banana Coffee Cake Muffins — because, as she put it to me, “You may get a new friend; at minimum, you have muffins.” Hard to argue with that logic.
In an interview with 10BEST, Graham dished on why food is the ultimate icebreaker, how being gluten-free changed the way she hosts, and what Lorelai would realistically put in her Good Neighbor Day basket. Hint: Luke’s makes an appearance — because of course!
Lauren Graham is giving her fall baking a purpose
In collaboration with Bob’s Red Mill, Graham is celebrating two of her favorite things: “gluten-free baking that doesn’t feel like a compromise and finding more reasons for people to be together,” she tells 10BEST.
This National Good Neighbor Day, the actress is whipping up her staple Gluten Free Banana Coffee Cake Muffins (made with Bob’s Red Mill favorites), and encouraging people to let food be the ultimate icebreaker in a new friendship, with the help of a Good Neighbor Basket.
“I think food works because it gives everyone something to do. You can pass a plate, ask for a recipe, offer somebody another muffin — and suddenly you’re talking,” Graham explains. “There’s no pressure to make the moment profound. You’re simply sharing something good, and that can be wonderfully disarming. For a minute, everyone stops what they’re doing and is actually present.”
Graham’s new campaign has a surprising “Gilmore Girls” connection
A “Gilmore Girls” documentary is heading to HBO Max. The cult-classic followed fast-talking mom Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Ivy-league bound daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel). – Photo courtesy of WBTV/HBO
Fall is one of the best seasons for a multitude of things — snuggling, baking with Bob’s Red Mill, binge-watching “Gilmore Girls” again (and again!), which Graham herself calls one of the “sweetest and strangest surprises,” seeing the cult-favorite TV series take on a life of its own.
“I understand the fall connection — the leaves, the sweaters, the coffee — but I think what people really return to is the feeling of Stars Hollow. It’s a place where neighbors know one another, show up for one another, and are always organizing an alarmingly specific town event,” she says.
Much like “Gilmore Girls,” community is at the heart of her new Bob’s Red Mill campaign — though for all her good intentions, Graham is far less confident her fictional counterpart, Lorelai Gilmore, could organize a neighborly basket quite as (ahem) homemade as her own.
“Realistically, the basket would be extremely well-intentioned and almost entirely store-bought: apple cider donuts, something from Luke’s that she had successfully reclassified as ‘homemade-adjacent,’ and an unreasonable amount of coffee,” Graham jokes, adding that Lorelai even attempting to bake would “be the real gift.”
MORE: A “Gilmore Girls” documentary is in the works at HBO
How to make Lauren Graham’s cozy recipe for closer friendships
How to make Lauren Graham’s Banana Coffee Cake Muffins for fall. – Photo courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill
Graham’s favorite cozy season bake might be gluten-free, but it certainly doesn’t sacrifice on flavor — though the “Gilmore Girls” actress admits that her own transition to gluten-free eating has inspired her to approach hosting differently — noting that for her, hospitality these days is less about “showing off” and more of an avenue to help “everyone relax.”
“Being gluten free myself, I know the experience of quietly scanning a table and realizing your dinner may be one decorative carrot. So when I’m hosting, I want people to feel considered, but not singled out or treated as if their dietary needs are a dramatic plot twist,” says Graham.
This is where Bob’s Red Mill comes in; the brand’s Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour ensures she doesn’t have to build a separate menu around her gluten-free diet.
“It works as a cup-for-cup swap for wheat flour in non-yeast recipes, so the cake on the table can simply be the cake — not the alternative cake sitting off to the side. That feels like the best kind of hospitality: everyone is included, and nobody has to discuss flour before dessert.” See Graham’s full Banana Coffee Cake Muffin recipe below:
Banana Coffee Cake Muffin recipe
Ingredients
For the muffin batter
For the streusel topping
¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Turbinado Sugar
¼ cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. neutral oil
2 tsp. cinnamon
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan. Mash banana. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add banana, milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla; stir until smooth.
For streusel, combine turbinado sugar, flour, oil and cinnamon until crumbly. Divide batter among muffin cups and top with streusel. Gently swirl streusel into the batter with a toothpick. Do not fully incorporate streusel.
Bake 15–20 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dining and Cooking