These fluffy, high rising, sweet gluten free chocolate chip muffins are over the top delicious. They’re super tender with chunks of semi-sweet chocolate dotting every bite!
There are not many gluten free baked goods you could pass off to your gluten eating friends or family members and they’d never know the difference… but this is one of those baked goods! I get so many ‘man these are good!’ comments on these that I wish I could hand these out to everyone who says gluten free foods don’t taste good. And it’s all because of this amazing texture.
Remember that reverse creaming method we used with this flourless vanilla cake (check it out if you haven’t)... Well we’re using that method again with this recipe. The flours are mixed first, then the butter. The result is the most tender crumb you’ve ever sank your teeth into!
Why these are the Best gluten free chocolate chip muffins!
Other chocolate chip muffins just don't compare to these amazing chunky muffins. And here's why:
- They're tender like a cake but not crumbly
- The recipe makes 15 good sized muffins
- They use dairy free chocolate chunks (which are like 3 chocolate chips in one!)
- They use our flour mix and a bit of almond flour, which keeps them incredibly tender (check out these gluten free crepes for more uses for almond flour!)
How to make this gluten free chocolate chip muffins recipe
Room temperature ingredients
If you store your flours in the refrigerator, remove them and the milk, eggs, butter and sour cream about 30 minutes before making the recipe to give everything enough time to come to room temperature. Gluten free recipes are very picky about temperature. Do not use cold ingredients! By the way, if you've ever wondered about sour cream and if all brands are gluten free, check out this post where I cover it extensively!
Mix the dry ingredients
Mixing dry ingredients After creaming
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl to use a hand mixer, add the dry ingredients – flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum – mix on low speed until combined.
Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. (The mixture will look crumbly) This is called the reverse cream method.
Note about the mixer: I highly recommend investing in a stand mixer. This one by Kitchen Aid has been mixing in my kitchen for over 20 years! They are pricey, but so worth it.
Mix the liquid ingredients
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix the milk, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar. Mix just until it’s fully combined.
Beat until fluffy
With the mixer on, slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low-medium. Once everything is combined, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Start the mixing again but turn the speed up to medium and mix for 2 minutes. The batter will look pale and fluffy.
Use a rubber spatula and fold in the chocolate chips (or chunks).
Portion & bake
After the rest time, portion the batter into well sprayed muffin cups. You’ll end up with 15 cups filled to the top with batter.
Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chunks on the tops if desired (totally not essential, but it’s an extra burst of chocolate!)
Pro tips for these almond flour chocolate chip muffins
Weigh the ingredients – It is incredibly important to get accurate measurements in the flour, sugar and even liquid ingredients. A scale like this one is an easy way to ensure that cup of flour you measure out is the same measurement that I used in the recipe!
Warming ingredients quickly – Here’s an easy way to quickly bring eggs, milk, butter and sour cream to room temperature… and it starts with the microwave. Heat about ½ cup of water in a glass measuring cup just to hot (about 45 seconds). Place the 2 eggs in the water and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.
For the other liquid ingredients… just microwave very slowly. The butter will only need about 15 seconds. The milk will need 30 seconds and the sour cream will need about 15 seconds.
Rest time – The rest time is crucial for the best textured chocolate chip muffins. After folding in the chocolate chunks, set the bowl of batter aside and let it sit for 30 minutes. This time ensures you have tall, nicely crowned muffins.
Spray the pan well – With these muffins, you’ll want to spray each cup in the pan. Rather than taking the pan and giving the whole thing a quick spray, take the time to spray each cup. It’ll help the muffins release easier (so you can enjoy them warm!)
This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support Zest For Baking at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.
FAQ’s for making the best tasting muffins
In this muffin recipe, I recommend this gluten free flour mix that I’ve developed specifically for muffins, quick breads and even yeast bread. Other mixes may work, but I haven’t tested them.
For the almond flour, I use this one from Nuts.com. It’s a little bit coarse and smells amazing – and the quality of their products, from the product itself to the customer service just can’t be beat.
Yes! So instead of the sour cream, yogurt works equally well. Just use the original or plain yogurt, nothing with any flavors. (If you use vanilla, skip adding the vanilla extract in the recipe!)
As a note, for this recipe, I used Forage sour cream.
I recommend the Enjoy Life brand. I used their ‘chocolate chunks’ variety in this recipe. But the mini chips would also work – 1 ¼ cup may be a bit too much, so decrease the amount to 1 cup plus some extras for the tops.
Yes! A hand mixer will work also. Just mix as directed.
Yes! To make a tasty loaf of chocolate chip bread, first, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Then after the batter rest time, portion the batter into a well sprayed 9” x 5” loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes (start checking the bread at 50 minutes and cover with foil if it’s getting too brown). Continue with the cooling process as directed in the recipe. Also check out this banana chocolate chip bread that’s filled with yummy banana flavor too!
These muffins store extremely well. After they’ve cooled completely, place them in a plastic bag and seal the bag. Store them on the counter for up to 3 days, then after 3 days, place the bag in the freezer for longer storage.
Love gluten free baking?! Check out these recipes next!
Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins {Dairy Free}
Ingredients
- 280 grams gluten free flour mix about 2 ½ cups
- 80 grams almond flour about ¾ cup
- 150 grams brown sugar about ⅔ cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 Tablespoons dairy free butter softened
- 4.5 ounces almond milk about ⅔ cup
- 140 grams dairy free sour cream about ⅔ cup
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips or chocolate chunks semi-sweet
- Extra chocolate chunks for the tops
Instructions
- In a bowl of the stand mixer, add the gluten free flour mix, almond flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Mix with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds or until combined.
- Add the butter and mix for 45 seconds, scraping down the butter occasionally, until mixture looks crumbly.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the almond milk, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar until combined.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Scrape down the bowl and turn the speed up to medium. Mix for 2 minutes.
- Fold the chocolate chunks into the batter.
- Set batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Toward the end of the rest time, preheat oven to 375 F. Spray each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin and 3 cups of another pan, with cooking spray.
- Portion the batter into he cups, filling each one to the top of the cup.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick test done.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Serve warm or cool.
Notes
- This recipe was created using our gluten free flour mix - other mixes may work, but they haven't been tested.
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Mix batter well for the full 2 minutes.
- Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes before baking for the best height and texture on the muffins.
KRIS
I DON'T READ GRAMS......USUALLY IN THE US WE USE CUPS, TLBS, PINT ETC.
Christine
Hi Kris,
So yes, I am in the US also (Texas actually!), but weight is the most accurate way to measure flours for gluten free baking. It's very, very important to measure by weight! 1 cup of flour I measure could be vastly different than a cup of flour someone else measures and I want everyone to have success with my recipes 🙂 So, use a kitchen scale (the one I linked to in the recipe is about $10) and weigh the ingredients in grams.
Hope that helps!
~Christine