Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Fall is here! The leaves are changing, I dress for fall in the morning, summer by mid-day, and then back to fall in the evening. Can you relate? Maybe my CA and FL friends can’t but if you are feeling the change in weather then I have just the recipe for you.

Or maybe you are just a PSL person, if so, it is win-win!

These paleo muffins are a hit for everyone I have ever served these to. Whether they are used to eating gluten free or for those who have no idea what gluten is, the subtle pumpkin spice flavor and the chocolate chips make everyone fall in love.

This muffin recipe is easy to make, freezes well, and can be adapted to your dietary needs. It uses maple syrup instead of refined, white sugar which has a lower glycemic index and contains some antioxidant nutrients as well. These muffins are higher in protein and contain pumpkin which has beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and folate! And it is grain free. For some individuals, grains can contribute to inflammation in the body. Nourishing yourself during the fall and winter months with nutrient dense, low sugar foods is an excellent way to use nutrition to support your immune system.

Ingredients:

¾ cup Coconut Flour 

½ cup Pumpkin Puree (canned or homemade) 

¾ cup Maple Syrup 

6 Eggs 

2 heaping teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice 

¾ teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar 

¼ cup Lilly’s Chocolate Chips which use stevia or use your favorite dairy free chocolate chip but that will increase the sugar content

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line a muffin tin with 12 parchment baking cups 

2. Combine all ingredients and stir well with a whisk to break up any clumps 

3. Bake 25-30 minutes 

4. Muffins are done when you test with a knife and it comes out clean 

5. Enjoy

Paleo Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

We live in an interesting growing area. At high elevation, we can get frost and freezes that destroy our gardens if we are not careful. In fact, that actually happened to our tomato plants at the start of the season.

We’ve also gotten a lot of rain this year, like torrential rain. While the streets and flood zones from the fires did not necessarily appreciate that, my garden sure did.

As such, we have 1 zucchini plant that is producing prolifically. In fact, it seems each time we go out and look, we have another huge zucchini ready to be picked!

That means zucchini-everything around here.

I wanted to make zucchini bread although I don’t like to make breads as much as I like to make muffins.

Muffins are easier to cook (less time baking) and I feel like they are more moist as a result of the reduced baking time. And, these are perfect portion sizes where with breads, I am more likely to keep nibbling and not pay attention to exactly how much I am eating.

So if your garden runneth over with zucchini, this can be a great way to get it into even your most veggie-resistant child. Note, these are not necessarily low sugar. You can play with alternatives like maple syrup or swapping out some of the sugar for stevia. You could also use Lily’s Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips which are also allergen friendly as a way to cut down the sugar.

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You will need:

2 eggs (preferably at room temperature)

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups almond flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit .

Line your muffin pans with parchment liners.

Grate 2 cups of zucchini then pour onto a clean kitchen towel, roll up and squeeze the excess moisture out. Unroll the towel and allow the zucchini to dry out further on the counter while you begin making the batter.

In your stand mixer, mix on low eggs, almond butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and vanilla

In a another bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour or arrowroot, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix on low until combined. The zucchini adds a lot of moisture so don’t worry that your batter looks thick at this point.

Add your shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, mix until well blended.

For ease and precision, I use an ice cream scoop, to fill muffin tins. But you can use a spoon or spatula to fill them 3/4 of the way. I got 16 muffins out of this recipe.

Bake in your preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!

GFCF Keto-Friendly Chocolates

Valentine’s Day is almost here!

Everywhere you look it is a veritable minefield of chocolatey treats!

Over the years as we have refined our diets based on individual need and looked at reducing processed and high-sugar things in our diet, it was challenging to celebrate and stay on track nutritionally.

But, we learned how to adapt and honor our bodies and our needs while being festive and celebratory!

I wanted to share a recipe I have used for many years now that can be adapted to whatever your tastes are. You can easily create treats for your loved ones that are completely sugar free – or you can adapt them and use a different sweetener like organic maple syrup, coconut sugar or nectar, or monk fruit, etc. It really is based on your taste preference.

You simply melt the coconut oil, mix with equal amounts cocoa or cacao and your desired sweetener (like stevia) to taste and pour into molds.

These do have more of a dark chocolate feel so if you are looking for a more milk chocolate version, this is not it.

And because it uses coconut oil which is liquid at 78 degrees, you will want to store these in the refrigerator.

But, for those on a low/no sugar diet, those just wanting to limit their sugar intake, these make for a nice option.

For those who don’t need a sugar-free version, you can also melt allergen-friendly chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is my preferred brand) in a double boiler and pour into molds as well.

Being on a special diet doesn’t mean missing out on holidays or treats!

I’d love to hear what you think. If you make these, please comment below how they turned out and how you customized them.


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Chocolate Peppermint Muffins

Muffins. How do I love thee? Where to begin…..

When my son was younger, getting him to eat was a challenge. There were texture issues, sensory issues, food avoidance, food cravings (mostly wheat and dairy products), did I mention food avoidance?

Meal times were more like a war zone honestly.

Until……I mastered the muffin!

When he was little, that meant mini-muffins. I packed as much dense nutrition into the muffin as I could. I made muffins of many flavors, textures, and yes even colors (all natural of course, one funny one came from the chemical reaction between sunflower seeds and baking soda!) I made muffins out of meat, muffins out of veggies, fruits, you name it!

As my kids got older, muffins remained a great way to get good nutrition into them in a form they loved that was easy.

Then I went to batch cooking and I would make double or triple batches of them – for the same amount of time spent – and it would feed them for days. They store nicely in the freezer and can be reheated easily. I use parchment liners which make baking and storing (even double layers on top of each other) a breeze.

Chocolate Peppermint Muffins are a favorite in our house.

These freeze well. As a matter of fact, I almost always have some in the freezer.

They have almost 1/2 egg per muffin and I cut the sugar and replaced with some stevia so there is no loss on sweet but it is not overloading them with sugar at the same time. They are gluten, dairy, soy and grain free.

Note, this recipe does call for either peppermint essential oil (1 drop) or peppermint extract. Before ever cooking with or consuming essential oils, always check with your physician on whether this is appropriate for you and your children. In lieu of that, switch to peppermint extract or simple leave out and just enjoy the chocolate flavor!

Want a downloadable version? Click here to get for one that is easy to print or save.

Comment below when you make these and tell me how you and your family like them!

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Terri Hirning is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. At no additional cost to you, if you purchase certain items linked in this site and blog, she may earn an affiliate commission on certain products. She only links to products she uses and has experience with directly.

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