Lately I’ve been experimenting with different flour substitutes (like cassava flour, almond flour, and coconut flour) to adapt some of my recipes to be gluten-free (see my Gluten-Free Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies recipe here). It’s also inspired me to develop some new delicious gluten-free recipes. Today I’m sharing a new recipe for flourless chocolate chip muffins that I’m so excited about: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins! These light and spongy gluten-free muffins are made with almond flour instead of regular flour, and nonfat Greek yogurt is one of the secrets to keeping the texture so fluffy (I’m also sharing a few more tips for perfect gluten-free muffins in today’s post). They are seriously yummy, and I can’t wait for you to try them!
I developed this recipe as part of the Allrecipes Allstars Tastemakers program. Rate, review, and photograph my recipe for Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Muffins on Allrecipes here, see the full gluten-free muffin recipe along with some of my cooking tips below (including keys for making fluffy and spongy flourless muffins), or Jump to Recipe directly if you’re ready to get baking.
More gluten-free dessert ideas:
- Keto Blueberry Cream Cheese Crumble
- Gluten-Free Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Three-Ingredient Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan Fudge Bites
- Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies
Tips for making fluffy gluten-free muffins
After some research and experimentation, I found a few important steps for making light, spongy, and fluffy gluten-free muffins.
Gluten-Free Muffin Tip 1: Spoon and level your flour substitute. Instead of scooping your measuring cup into your bag of gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into your measuring cup then level it off with a knife (or other flat edge).
Gluten-Free Muffin Tip 2: Sift your flour (almond flour in the case of this recipe). Almond flour and other gluten-free flour substitutes are not only susceptible to clumping, but most also have a grainier texture than all-purpose flour. Sifting helps with both of these, breaking up clumps and lightly grinding and fluffing grainier flours (like almond flour).
Gluten-Free Muffin Tip 3: Greek yogurt is a key ingredient in many of the recipes I want to be fluffy or extra-moist (for example when I am making baked goods in the Instant Pot – see my Instant Pot Lemon Bundt Cake and Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes recipes). Greek yogurt is very creamy, which makes baked goods nice and moist. The acidity also helps activate baking soda in recipes, which contributes to the fluffiness.
How to make gluten-free chocolate chip muffins
To make this gluten-free muffin recipe, start by sifting 3 cups of almond flour together with baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a bowl and setting it aside.
Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
Mix it until everything is well combined, but be careful not to overmix (or the batter might become dense).
Before adding chocolate chips to the batter, here’s a little tip that will help the chocolate chips stay put in the batter while baking (and not sinking to the bottom of your muffin cups – ask me how I learned this, LOL).
In a small bowl toss 3/4 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips (the recipe calls for a full cup; you’ll use the last 1/4 cup later) with 1 more tablespoon of almond flour so that the chips are lightly coated with the flour. This gives them a bit of something to hold them in place within he batter.
Now you can fold the coated chocolate chips into the batter.
Distribute the batter evenly between 10 paper-lined muffin cups, filling the cups all the way to the top. While you could squeeze the recipe into a full dozen by filling the cups 2/3 or 3/4 of the way full, you will get more of that overflowing, domed muffin top effect by filling the cups to the top. To me, that’s worth getting a few less muffins in the end. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (the ones left uncoated) over the tops of the muffins just before baking them.
I learned the next muffin tip from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Start by baking the muffins at a higher temperature for a few minutes, then reducing the temperature and continuing to cook the muffins. This helps with the initial lift of the muffin top during baking (and as you might know, flourless gluten-free muffins need all the help they can get for lift). For this gluten-free chocolate chip muffins recipe, start by baking the muffins in an oven preheated to 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F without removing the muffins from the oven (just keep them in there and turn the temp down). Continue baking the muffins until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. This will be between 12 and 15 minutes, and I’d watch the muffins closely as you start getting near the 12 minute mark just in case your oven works faster.
Cool the gluten-free muffins in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and serving.
Look how fluffy and spongy they are inside!
You can eat them on their own as is, or by adding a little butter if desired.
Here’s the gluten-free muffin recipe! I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to bringing more delicious gluten-free recipes to you.
Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
muffins
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- 3 cups almond flour spooned and leveled
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 1 tablespoon almond flour
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Sift 3 cups almond flour together with baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a bowl and set aside.
- Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined, but be careful not to overmix.
- Toss 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon almond flour in a bowl so that the chips are lightly coated. Fold the coated chocolate chips into the batter. Distribute the batter evenly between 10 paper-lined muffin cups, filling the cups all the way to the top. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool muffins in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
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