Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gluten free baking is a real challenge. The moist, fluffy texture you get in a typical cake or the gooey, chewy texture in cookies is all thanks to the ratio of flour and sugar to other ingredients, and gluten free substitutes just don't do the same. I would rather have nothing than have a bad gluten free dessert, because a cheap imitation only makes me want the real thing more.

So let me introduce you to the best gluten free muffin recipe I've made.

These are gluten free, vegan, super low sugar (but not completely sugar free) and are as moist, fluffy and DELICIOUS as the regular muffin you’d get from the bakery. Reminder that while these muffins are a great choice for a snack, they are not particularly nutrient dense, and I would never swap one of these and a coffee in place of a proper breakfast meal consisting of fat, protein, and veggies.

You can buy pre-made pumpkin spice recipe, but it's super easy to make on your own. I usually triple the pumpkin spice recipe and add it to smoothies or sprinkle on sliced apples with peanut butter.

These muffins also freeze very well. I always have a batch of these in my freezer, ready to be popped in the microwave for a delicious treat.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups buckwheat flour

• 1/2 cup ground flax seeds (you can blend whole flax seeds if you can't buy pre-ground)

• 1/2 cup raw techina paste

• 1 cup almond milk

• 1 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling!)

• 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of your choice*

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 TBSP pumpkin spice (recipe below)

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar of your choice**

*Depending on your body's sugar tolerance and your goals, you can opt for a natural sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup (which contains more sugar) or a low calorie sweetener like monkfruit or allulose (won't affect your blood sugar as much.)

**I recommend Lily's brand for sugar free chocolate chips or Hu chocolate bars (made with organic coconut sugar for something a bit sweeter).

Pumpkin Spice:

• 3 TBSP cinnamon

• 1 tsp ginger

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground cloves

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C or 350°F.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a fork or spoon (no electric mixer required!)

3. Spoon batter into a muffin tin either lined with cupcake liners or greased with coconut oil.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean, they're ready.

5. Enjoy!