Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins for Kids

I think every parent needs a healthy chocolate muffin recipe for their family. This one is a favorite for my family, especially my kids! And I love that it has a low glycemic index, is gluten free, has protein and healthy fats, and even has a bit of vegetables with the addition of pumpkin (or sweet potato). This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite recipe authors, Autumn Michaelis, and her blog Whole Food for 7. I encourage you to check her out!

Feel free to skip all of these notes and click “Jump to Recipe”! I won’t be offended. But if you like reading the recipe author’s thoughts about some of their choices, here you go!

Common questions with this recipe:  (Jump to recipe button)

Does it matter what protein powder I use? I have tried whey, collagen peptides, pea protein, and an all vegetarian protein blend. I have tried unflavored, vanilla, and chocolate. It tasted great with all of them! My personal favorite is when it is made with Vanilla Orgain Simple. I have also tried this recipe with ground flaxseed, and personally, it did not taste great to me.

I don’t have Dutch processed cocoa. Is regular cocoa okay? Yes, it is okay to use regular cocoa. I am, however, a HUGE fan of Dutch processed cocoa. It’s important to me to never skimp on cheap cocoa, cheap chocolate, or cheap vanilla. I always get the good stuff, and I have never regretted it. Dutch processed cocoa has a robust flavor and provides a beautiful rich, dark color to foods made with it.

Do you like maple syrup or honey better? I personally prefer maple syrup, as I find that maple syrup has a more neutral flavor to it than honey when used in baked goods. It is also much easier to pour and clean up as it is not as thick as honey.

Which nut butter do you like best? I am going to be honest – I have a slight peanut butter addiction. Whole30 talks about the Sugar Dragon. Well, I have a peanut butter dragon. And she is a strong beast. It can be hard to resist eating a huge scoop of the stuff if I bake with it, so I tend to use almond butter or cashew butter when I am baking. Almond butter is very affordable from Costco, so I most commonly use that.

Why do you use hot water? I learned the trick of adding hot water to chocolate cake and chocolate muffins from the cake recipe on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa box. Cocoa can be an ingredient that sucks the moisture out of cake. And for recipes that are particularly thick, a little water helps give you a lighter texture. I like the way adding a little bit of hot water changes the texture of these muffins and deepens the chocolate flavor a bit, but it is not necessary. Try it with and without and see which you like best!

Healthy, Macro-Balanced Double Chocolate Mini Muffins

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I think every parent needs a healthy chocolate muffin recipe for their family. This one is a favorite for my family, especially my kids! And I love that it has a low glycemic index, is gluten free, has protein and healthy fats, and even has a bit of vegetables with the addition of pumpkin (or sweet potato). 

• Author: Jessie Motsinger
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20
• Yield: 24–28 Mini Muffins 1x
• Category: Sweet Treats
• Method: Baking

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1/2 cup (144 g) almond butter or other nut butter

3/4 cup (216 g) canned pumpkin (I prefer Libby’s brand). You can also use cooked sweet potato

1 large egg

6 TB (120 g) maple syrup or honey

1/2 cup (68 g) cocoa powder (I prefer Dutch processed cocoa like this kind)

2 TB vanilla protein powder (I prefer this kind) or collagen peptides

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted nut butter

1 TB (14 g) very hot water

1/4 cup (40 g) chocolate chips for inside the batter

1/4 cup (40 g) chocolate chips for on top of muffins

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare mini muffin tin by spraying with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients except the hot water and chocolate chips. The batter is quite thick.
3. When you have the batter thoroughly mixed and there are no more large lumps, pour in the hot water and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Fold in the ¼ cup of chocolate chips.
5. Using a 1 ½ TB  cookie scoop (#40 or #50), dish one scoop of batter per muffin well.
6. Top each muffin with 4-5 chocolate chips
7. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, until muffins are set. Err on the side of under-baked to keep them super moist.

Notes

I love to use the Guittard Sante mini chocolate chips because they are dairy free and are sweetened with coconut sugar!