Monday, October 6, 2008

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free)



The long, hot, and humid summer is finally over. Several months of extreme busyness have passed, along with 2 weeks of illness.

I finally feel ready to bake again.

Tis' the season for baking!

I love fall. I always have. It is my very favorite time of year and pumpkins have a lot to do with that.

I always keep plain canned pumpkin in my pantry. It's great for baking year round and can be used partially in replacement of fats in a recipe much like applesauce and yogurt.

I saw a recipe for these pumpkin muffins in a popular grocery store magazine and I thought they would be the PERFECT thing to welcome fall! I used my favorite gluten free flours along with adding kefir, a nutritious fermented milk product that I've recently begun to make at home. These muffins are incredibly moist and delicious. I made enough to enjoy them for my "on-the-road" breakfasts this week.

Even my wonderful, but picky husband loved them. He even said, "Honey, they taste like fall." I don't think they could have received a better compliment!

Enjoy!




Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup millet or GF oat flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup plain pumpkin
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup kefir, applesauce, or yogurt

Lastly:
3/4 cup chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together ALL dry ingredients until well incorporated. In a medium sized bowl mix together all wet ingredients. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until mixture is thoroughly moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Muffin batter will be thick. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into into muffin tin for 12 large muffins. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes prior to eating (if you can wait that long!)

Store in an airtight container on the counter.

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