Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

These double chocolate muffins are going to be your new favorite! They’re easy to make, light and moist, plus they just so happen to be gluten free, nut free and dairy free.

This post is sponsored in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for your continued support as I work with brands I not only love and trust myself, but know you will too!

Is there such a thing as too many muffins? I’m going to go ahead and say, “absolutely not.” They’re enjoyed by all and there are so many ways to make them!

I have tons of muffin recipes here on FMK, but up until this point I did not have a standard basic chocolate muffin recipe.

I’ve made this chocolate muffin recipe several times in the last week and a half… and I’m just going to go ahead and say it – they’re the best!!

Chocolate muffins are great because it basically feels like you’re eating dessert for breakfast. Thankfully these ones are a bit on the healthier side using ingredients like applesauce, maple syrup and whole grain gluten flour.

The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

These healthy chocolate muffins do not disappoint. They’re perfectly moist, light and studded with chocolate chips for the perfect amount of sweetness you want in a muffin.

Ingredients List

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – my favorite gluten-free flour blend! If not gluten-free, feel free to sub whole wheat white or whole wheat pastry flour.
• unsweetened cocoa powder – make sure to use regular cocoa powder, not “dutch process”. You can also use cacao powder, but the flavor of the muffins may change slightly.
• espresso powder or instant coffee – this is just a little chocolate flavor enhancer! You can omit if you don’t have any on hand. But if you plan on baking up a chocolate storm, you might as well stock your pantry with it.
• baking soda & baking powder – using both will get the perfect lift
• salt – just a touch to help enhance flavor
• unsweetened applesauce – we’re using a majority of applesauce here that ends up replacing quite a bit of oil in what a traditional muffin recipe might call for. If you don’t have applesauce, well-mashed banana would work too!
• avocado oil, light olive oil or melted/cooled coconut oil – Use a neutral oil so the chocolate flavor really comes through. If you choose to use coconut oil, make sure the rest of the ingredients used are room temperature.
• pure maple syrup – using mostly a liquid sweetener for these muffins.
• granulated sugar – you can use coconut sugar, white sugar, brown sugar or a stevia blend if you’d like. This added granulated sugar helps balance the sweetness of the muffins. If you decide to omit, the muffins will be somewhat bitter.
• eggs – two eggs here will give you the best texture.
• vanilla extract – we’re using one whole tablespoon here for a boost of flavor.
• chocolate chips – OBVIOUSLY we’re adding chocolate chips to these double chocolate muffins. I like to use a mix of regular sized and mini chocolate chips.

Tips for making healthy chocolate muffins

Here are some baking tips to ensure you get the best possible results with these gluten free chocolate muffins!

Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately

To ensure the cocoa powder gets evenly dispersed with the gluten free baking flour, and the leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder), it’s a good idea to mix these dry ingredients together in its own bowl, separate from the wet ingredients.

Use a cookie scoop for batter

My medium cookie scoop is one of my most-loved and most-used kitchen tools. From scooping perfectly shaped cookie dough to easily dispensing batter into a muffin tin. If you don’t have one, get one!

Recipe FAQs

• Are there other flours I can sub with? – Your best bet is to use either the Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, or sub the same amount of whole wheat white or whole wheat pastry flour. If you’re looking for grain free option (i.e. almond flour) use my paleo chocolate bread and bake in a muffin pan for 15-20 minutes.
• Can I use mashed banana instead of applesauce? – If you don’t have applesauce, you can sub with the same amount of mashed banana. Just make sure your banana is very well-mashed, or you might need to add a couple tablespoons of milk to help thin out batter.
• What about using honey instead of maple syrup? – While I didn’t test that myself, I am pretty confident this would work. You might want to increase granulated sugar by another tablespoon or so, though.
• Do I have to add the granulated sugar? – I highly recommend adding the additional sugar here. It’s needed to get the right amount of sweetness with the chocolate. If you add more maple syrup, the dry and liquid ratios will be off. Also note, if you want a sweeter muffin, I suggest adding about 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
• How do I make these vegan? – The eggs here do help provide some structure to these muffins. Because these muffins are made with a gluten-free flour blend, I am not certain how using an egg replacer would work out. The muffin texture might be a little more dense. If you try this though, let me know!

Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

Print