Basic Muffin Recipe w/ Variations -- GF, DF

Muffins are a great place to hide (healthy) things! You can make this recipe as written, or use the optional add-ins and adjust accordingly if you’re feeling adventurous (but really, it’s hard to ruin these so go for it!).

Makes 12

• 1 ¼ C gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mill blue bag is best)
• ½ C almond flour
• OR 1 ¾ C all purpose flour (omit GF flour and almond flour if using all purpose)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ C coconut sugar OR ⅓ C date sugar
• 1 Tbs collagen (optional)*
• 2 Tbs ground chia seeds (optional)*
• 2 eggs
• ½ C almond (or other) milk
• ¼ C avocado (or olive) oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

Optional additions:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip:

• ½ C cocoa powder
• 1 C finely shredded zucchini (optional)*
• ½ C - ¾ C mini chocolate chips (we use Enjoy Life dairy free)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip:

• 1 C pumpkin puree (sweet potato puree also works well here)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ C - ¾ C mini chocolate chips (we use Enjoy Life dairy free)

Lemon Blueberry**:

• Zest from one lemon
• Juice of one lemon (use half the lemon if it’s large)
• 1 C finely shredded zucchini (optional)*
• 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries

Lemon Poppyseed**:

• Zest from one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 C finely shredded zucchini (optional)*
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 2 Tbs poppyseeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or use muffin papers.

In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, collagen and chia. (Also add spices or cocoa if using those.)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. (Also add lemon zest, lemon juice, almond extract if using.)  Beat together with a whisk. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined. Fold in any of the following ingredients if using: zucchini, pumpkin/sweet potato puree, blueberries, or chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 20-25  minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Place the muffins on a cooling rack. You can store them in a covered container at room temp for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

*Collagen and chia absorb a lot of moisture, which is why I don’t drain the zucchini in this recipe. If you omit them, you may need to add flour a tablespoon at a time to make sure your batter isn’t too runny. You want a batter leaning toward thick but not overly dry.

**Omit the chia seeds on these two variations as they tend to make your batter look dark. I also prefer to use the date sugar instead of the coconut sugar for these two to keep the batter looking light.