chunky monkey muffins {gf}

gluten free baking successess are amazing- especially for someone who doesn't bake gluten free often.

i love getting to the point where i am comfortable enough to explore and develop recipes on a whim. there was a time when a recipe was my life line - i would follow it to a T for fear of turning out an inedible meal or muffin. then gradually, after much practice i became more confident in the kitchen, using recipes only as a guideline, often times venturing off from the written recipe and creating something a little different. then a few years later i began creating original recipes - some wildly successful others major fails. this one my friends was one of the successes - a gluten free success which was even more exciting and pretty tasty too.

for anyone still hesitant to stray away from the original recipe - don't be! jump right in and experiment, that's really the best way to grow in the kitchen. keep trying until it turns out just right and before you know it you will be able to create recipes without even giving it a second thought, it will eventually become second nature to you.

if you frequent smbp you already know of my love for coconut flour - if you follow Keepin' it kind i bet you can guess who's kristy love is...if you guessed chickpea you are spot on!

the beauty of this recipe is both of our loves do this recipe justice.

the coconut flour bakes up a more dense muffin - moist but dense.

the chickpea flour creates a lighter, more fluffy muffin.

both are delicious in their own right - justin and i couldn't decide which one we liked better so we declared a tie.  both muffins are pure awesomeness!

when baking muffins for just the two of us, i prefer little batches of 6 muffins at a time.

built in portion control- that's a very good thing in our house.

you will also notice that the coconut flour muffins bake up a bit quicker than their chickpea counter part - be sure that you don't over bake.

personally, i enjoyed these muffins with a steaming cup of tea. Justin on the other hand poured himself a big glass of almond milk to enjoy with his muffin.

the pure maple syrup really shines through in this recipe, i would strongly recommend pure grade b maple syrup. grade b has a more pronounced flavor that shows up well in baked goods. lately, pure NH maple syrup has been my sweetener of choice and it has done well in all applications thus far.

do you find yourself making bolder moves in the kitchen as you become more confident in your baking and cooking skills?

how "green" were you when you started in the kitchen - have you any encouraging words for those still a little hesitant to step outside of the "recipe" box?

Chunky Monkey Muffins

makes 6 muffins

you will need:

1 cup gluten free oats, finely ground in a food processor

1/2 cup coconut flour or chickpea flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 medium very ripe banana

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup gf vegan chocolate chips

3 tbsp walnut halves roughly chopped

assembly:

pre heat the oven to 350*

in a medium bowl mix dry ingredients - finely ground gf oats through salt

in a medium bowl place peeled banana and mash well - add ample syrup, almond milk and vanilla extract, stir until well mixed.

add the chocolate chips to the flour mixture and toss well - slowly stir in the wet into the dry until well mixed.

in a muffin tin lined with 6 muffin liners fill the muffin cups all the way full - if using the coconut flour it will be mounded. sprinkle with walnut pieces, gently press into the coconut flour muffin tops, the chickpea mixture does not require pressing.

for coconut muffinsbake for 12-15 minutes

for chickpea muffins bake for 17-20 minutes

remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack prior to removing from pan

enjoy!

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