Gluten free light chocolate muffins

The other day was a good day for some baking, which I haven’t been doing as much. I had made some cold brew sometime earlier in the week, and felt that something baked would go really well with it.

I thought about making some banana bread but then I realized I’m not sure if my boyfriend would eat it with me. The last time I made some, I ended up eating all of it by myself (and I made all lot).

I did remember though that he does like his chocolate as I have made him chocolate muffins before, and he eats all of them every time.

I love that muffins are so easy to make and so easy to bake. Breads always take so much longer to bake. When we 1st moved to the apartment I decided to buy some new muffin tins. I figured it would be more economical to have mini muffins and instead of large muffins. I always try to think ahead when I prepare lunches or breakfast. I think about those mornings where I would have to rush out the door. It’s simpler to stuff a muffin or two in your mouth as you exit to work or some place in the morning. They’re also much more easier to stuff into a tupperware or bento type kit.

This recipe was adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring’s blog post of a Lighter gluten free chocolate muffin. Her’s is quite light. I added more sugar and chocolate chips because I’m a glutton, and I wanted just a bit more flavor. But I’m really not a sugar addict, so I like that the most she calls for is 7 Tablespoons of sugar. I’ve been following her recipes exactly, but lately, I’ve been limited on particular ingredients. Since moving, the closest health food store is about 15 minutes away. I prefer places that are 7 minutes to get to, plus, Corona has terrible traffic. There’s the 15 and 91 junction that gets crazy crowded after 2pm, so its important to do any shopping early.

I didn’t make too many changes. I followed the recipe almost exactly, but added 1/4 cup of oats (plus a smidge more of liquid, maybe like 2 tablespoons more), blended in 1/2 cup of Birch Bender’s paleo pancake mix, an extra 1.5 Tablespoons of sugar because of the oats, and instead of 4 ounces of chocolate chips total, I added 6 in total, so there were more chips in the muffins. It was very chocolate-y and delicious. Being someone who isn’t a big sweets fan, I really like how “light” these muffins are. Its perfect for breakfast, and to wash down and drinks you make like coffee or tea. It’s totally fine as a standalone quick bite too.

Notes: I didn’t want to add the whole thing of pancake mix as my total gf flour mix because it had some leavening for a bit of a rise and sugars in it (the monk fruit, which is 0 calories, but for taste wise). I also wanted to make sure it tasted good too, because this pancake mix can taste gritty or grainy I’ve noticed. So 1 cup of your favorite gf flour blend plus the 1/2 cup of the Birch Benders paleo pancake mix is quite perfect. I got a big rise from the muffin tops I never got before. It was pretty magic! I think its that extra leavening that Birch Benders adds to their mix.