Grain-free Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten-free)

Grain-free Chocolate Chip Muffins
gluten-free | grain-free | tree nut free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | January 11, 2024
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These grain-free chocolate chip muffins were everything I had dreamed that they would be! My favorite type of muffin is chocolate chip muffins and I had always wanted to create a grain-free version that was like a traditional chocolate chip muffin. These muffins turned out perfectly and had just the right flavor, texture, and fluffiness! These grain-free chocolate chip muffins are super easy to make and are even allergy-friendly, they will quickly become a staple in your modern pioneer kitchen!

Modern Pioneer Recipe

For me, the chocolate chip muffin is a classic modern pioneer recipe. Chocolate chip muffins have been in my family since before I can remember, and they have good, fun memories associated with them. They just seem so rustic and classic to me.

The American muffin was created thanks to the development of pearlash, a rising agent that was discovered in the 18th century. Since then, muffins have become a popular bakery item and are often associated with sweet ingredients like chocolate chips and blueberries.

For this chocolate chip muffin recipe, I wanted to keep things simple and allergy friendly. Baking like a modern pioneer means using simple and minimal ingredients, like the early pioneers would have had to do. However, today we have a few more ingredient options available! Also, the whole point of making this recipe was to create a grain-free version of my favorite muffin.

These muffins are not just grain-free though, they are also….

• tree nut free
• gluten-free
• corn free
• dairy-free option
• low sugar
• anti-inflammatory

Aside from chocolate chip muffins, I also enjoy a variety of other muffins. For some reason, I have childhood memories of lots of muffins. I don’t know if my mom just made lots of muffins or if I always just remember the muffins, but it seems I have had this lifelong love for muffins. Here are some other muffin varieties that I have fond memories of:

• gluten-free blueberry muffins
• cornmeal muffins
• lemon poppy seed muffins
• gluten-free gingerbread muffins
• pumpkin or sweet potato muffins
• banana muffins
• apple spice muffins
• rhubarb muffins

Muffins: A Family Travel Tradition

Another reason why I may have fond memories of muffins is because of the family tradition that surrounds them. Whenever my family would go on our annual family vacation, we would always pack chocolate chip muffins.

The Tradition…

The chocolate chip muffins would serve as our first breakfast on the road along with an egg omelet muffin. Then, that evening we would have the leftover muffins with either soup or a canned venison meal. Whenever I think of chocolate chip muffins, I always remember the fun of getting up early to go on vacation with my family and enjoying a delicious, fluffy chocolate chip muffin at 5:30 in the morning!

Traditional, we would use the King Arthur gluten-free muffin mix to make our gluten-free chocolate chip muffins for travel. I LOVE that mix! It has amazing taste and texture… super soft and not too sweet. However, the muffin mix is only gluten-free, not grain-free, and it does contain cane sugar. Since we are trying to limit our grains and use mostly natural sugars, I knew I had to come up with a comparable substitute.

My first chocolate chip muffin attempt was these Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Muffins made with oat flour. They turned out delicious, but they lacked the light and fluffy texture I was trying to mimic from the King Arthur muffins. Also, they were not grain-free since they contained oats.

The Solution…

That’s when I decided to try making these grain-free chocolate chip muffins! Since I liked the flavor and sweetness of my gluten-free muffins, I basically just substituted in grain-free flours for the oat flour. The texture turned out amazing and I was so pleased!

These muffins are definitely a comparable substitute for the King Arthur muffins, and I have a feeling they will get used for many family outings and camping trips!

Ways to Serve Muffins

Due to my many memories of having muffins over my childhood, I also have many memories of what we would have with the muffins. Aside from being a travel breakfast, there are other meals that I remember being traditional served with muffins.

Soup is one meal that sticks in my memory as always having a muffin accompanying it. I love soup and I love muffins, so those happened to be some of my favorite meals! Here are a few soups that would pair well with these grain-free chocolate chip muffins:

• Crockpot Paleo Venison Stew
• Chicken & Quinoa Soup
• Classic Bean & Ham Soup
• Dairy-free Broccoli Bacon Soup
• Venison Bean Chili

Other non-soup meals that I often think of pairing with muffins include venison roast, grilled chicken salad, and venison steaks. I also remember muffins being a great snack when I was a kid (and they still are!). I especially remember mini muffins being served as a snack, but traditional sized muffins are great too!

Along with having muffins as a travel breakfast, I also enjoy having them for breakfast at home! I love pairing them with a fried egg or having them with a fruit smoothie. Yogurt bowls go great with these chocolate chip muffins too! Gluten-free granola makes a good pair with muffins for breakfast as does any gluten-free cereal (my favorite is maple buckwheat flakes!).

How to Store Grain-free Muffins

When I was making these muffins, I was keeping in mind that they had to be easy to transport and store. Since I was trying to make them as a travel breakfast, they could not be crumbly, and they had to be easily storable.

Once I realized the texture and taste was just what I wanted, I started experimenting with storing them. These muffins are hardy and not crumbly, so they can easily be stored in bags or containers without falling apart or being messy. They can be placed in an 8×8″ glass baking dish for storage, placed in individual Anchor glass storage containers, or sealed in a plastic bag or more eco-friendly Stasher bag.

Grain-free chocolate chip muffins can be stored at room temperature for 3-5 days, less time if the weather is warm. They can also be stored in the fridge or frozen. One thing I like about these muffins is that they freeze well. I placed some in the freezer to see how they would do, and I was very pleased with the results. They can be un-thawed at room temperature, or they can be placed in the fridge to unthaw. The texture and taste stayed the same and they were still delicious!

Grain-free Muffin Recipe Tips

I think muffins are very easy and a fun food to bake! For these grain-free chocolate chip muffins, I tried to keep everything as simple and easy as possible. However, with muffins, it can be tricky to get just the right amount of moisture so that the muffins don’t sink when you remove them from the oven but at the same time they don’t end up dry and crumbly.

These grain-free chocolate chip muffins did neither. Here are a few recipe tips to ensure your muffins turn out perfectly too!

• Butter– The butter should be almost completely melted to help with the proper moisture.
• Wet Ingredients– Combine all of the wet ingredients, except for the water, with the sugar before adding the dry ingredients.
• Add Water– After you add the dry ingredients, give the batter a little stir, then add the water. Make sure your water is warm to help it mix into the batter better.
• Dairy-free– You can use coconut oil instead of butter in these muffins to make them dairy-free.
• Sugar Sub– Honey can be substituted for the maple syrup in this recipe, however, I have found that the honey makes them slightly less sweet.
• Eggs– I have not tried making this recipe with an egg substitute, so I don’t know how the muffins would turn out. The eggs help keep the muffins together and help them rise.

These grain-free chocolate chip muffins make a great breakfast, snack, or meal side! They are allergy-friendly, have amazing texture, and the perfect sweet and chocolatey flavor. I love making these simple muffins and they bring back all the fond memories that chocolate chip muffins have for me!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
• Anthony’s organic coconut flour
• Otto’s Naturals baking powder
• Simply Organic vanilla extract
• Anthony’s organic coconut sugar
• Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
• Supplies: unbleached parchment paper muffin liners, muffin tin

These grain-free chocolate chip muffins are one of my favorite muffins! I absolutely love the soft and fluffy texture and the sweet, chocolate flavor. They are allergy-friendly, so I can enjoy them guilt-free, and they make the perfect modern pioneer recipe. Simple, easy, delicious, and wholesome… these chocolate chip muffins are a family favorite on my homestead!

Interested in what all this ‘modern pioneer’ stuff is all about? Join our modern pioneer community and get more modern pioneer recipes and practical tips for creating a self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle!