When my kids request muffins, muffins they will get.
Gluten-free muffins that are healthy, flavorful and light in texture are not hard to create with a few tricks.
This recipe is made with hearty whole-grain, wheat-free flours, nutty brown butter, tangy and creamy yogurt and rich, deep, oh-so-dark and decadent chocolate chips.
After enjoying our muffins, Gideon Lev started to cry. He had been fed and was likely tired, gassy or any of a million things that babies feel and cannot completely express. We joked he was upset because he couldn’t enjoy a warm, sweet muffin with us. Asher proclaimed that he should “grow some teeth!”
Come to think of it, that could have been the reason he was crying. Our kids have always been quite dramatic when it comes to teething (and who can blame them?).
As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, the entire house smells intoxicating. Scents of sweet banana, luscious chocolate and salty, intoxicating walnuts lingers for hours. That’s my kind of candle.
Before digging in, use a toothpick to ensure the muffins are completely cooked through. Often, gluten-free muffins and breads look done but are not, so take care to make sure they are ready to devour.
Of course, avoid eating the crisp, sugar-coated top off of each muffin (it’s tempting!).
You see, these muffins are special, as the batter is rained upon with a light sprinkle of turbinado (raw) sugar before going into the oven.
The result is a sweet, crunchy muffin top that perfectly juxtaposes the soft, succulent interior. This is one muffin top I absolutely want to wake up to each morning.
I enjoy a muffin, warm from the oven, with a vanilla-cinnamon coconut milk latte. So right, but so wrong. Talk about an indulgent treat to warm my foodie soul.
Supposedly you should wait for the muffins to cool, but why would I do that? That would require some modicum of restraint.
While we are touching on what is right and what is wrong, it is absolutely right to have two muffins and completely wrong to just have one.
Do you have a favorite gluten-free muffin recipe? Feel free to share it in the comments, below. The Muffin Monsters at Casa Curls and Carrots always have room in their stomachs for a fresh batch of something healthy and sweet – and of course chocolatey.
Read more of Shanna’s Curls and Carrots recipes in the New Mexico Jewish Link, a part of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, New Mexico’s center for Jewish philanthropy.
Brown Butter, Banana and Dark Chocolate Muffins
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Brown Butter Banana and Dark Chocolate Muffins (Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free)
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- Preheat oven to 350•F. Line two muffin pans with eighteen cupcake liners.
- If you are making your own quinoa and almond flours, process each separately in a food processor until very fine. Do not over process the almonds, or you’ll have almond butter! Place in a large bowl.
- Cook the butter on the stovetop over low heat until light brown and nutty. Place in a bowl and allow to cool.
- In a food processor, process the bananas, eggs, sugar, syrup, cooled butter, vanilla and Greek yogurt until very smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, quinoa flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips, coating them well in the mixture of dry ingredients. This will prevent them from falling to the bottom of the cooked muffins.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the muffins into the lined muffin tins. Use a rubber spatula at the end to ensure you have eighteen muffins. The last muffin may need extra chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle whole turbinado sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check the muffins at 25 minutes.
- Cool completely and enjoy, though I find this task impossible. And what’s wrong with a warm muffin, oozing with dark chocolate goodness?
*Butter and yogurt are naturally lactose-free foods. However, feel free to use non-dairy substitutes to make your muffins completely dairy-free. I have never attempted to brown a non-dairy butter, so simply lightly melt a butter alternative and proceed with recipe as follows.
Curls and carrots 
These look delicious and the kids are adorable! Muffins are indeed hard to resist, a tasty and popular way to start the day. Brown butter is so wonderful, I’m sure it makes these muffins magnificent.
Thanks so much, Gretchen. 🙂 Yes, brown butter really elevates any banana bread or muffins, as does dark chocolate and nuts!
Shanna those muffins look incredible. I don’t have a problem with gluten but would gladly take one of your delicious muffins over a gluten laden one. Your little ones are so cute, love the photo’s.
Thanks, Suzanne! The fun of trying gluten-free recipes is the flavor of different flours… coconut, quinoa, almond, hazelnut, oat… the list goes on and on. A touch of a natural gum often helps create a lovely texture in some recipes. 🙂
They look delicious, Shanna! I smell them even here! 🙂
Thank you, Anatoli! 🙂 I am sending you virtual muffins. 😉
What wonderful smiles & delicious looking muffins!!
Thank you, Sharon. You are so generous in your words. 🙂
Look at those EYES!!!
Thank you! 🙂
Wow Shanna, These muffins are special… I love browned butter and it adds so much flavor to already fabulous ingredients. Gorgeous muffins for gorgeous babies!
Thank you, Fae. I love the earthiness of the quinoa flour pared with the nutty brown butter… the two go well together. 🙂
Your kids are all so cute – and they look so well behaved! BTW the muffins look delicious.
Well, kids will be kids… But we will keep them! Always working on good manners! 😊 These muffins do so well at altitude…. Thanks, Darryl.
Brown butter, banana and chocolate? What’s not to like?
You have a great pallet… glad to have Michelle stamp of flavor approval. 🙂 Thank you!
gorgeous, Shanna. How do you get your muffins to look so picture-perfect?
You mean the ones I was devouring and trying to photograph – with no self-restraint? Half noshed on? 🙂
xx
These look and sound delicious, Shanna!
If only you were in the states, I’d ship you a batch for your review. 🙂 They might be blue and green by the time they arrived in The Netherlands…
Or, as we say here, become hairy! 😉
Those muffins look like they are coming out of my computer screen. They look so perfect and delicious and healthy too. Your adorable little angels are so fortunate they get to enjoy healthy and delicious homemade foods/treats. Great post, Shanna.
It’s great that you’ve got so many healthy recipes up your sleeve for those times when the kids just want something delicious to eat. Best mum ever! Your kids are adorable, I can definitely see you in them 🙂
You are so sweet. Thank you! My kids are little cookie and muffin monsters. I am always looking for ways to keep all the flavor and texture – but add in good nutrition for growing little munchkins. You have gorgeous, healthy recipes on your blog… 🙂
What a great combination of flavours!!! There’s nothing in these muffins I wouldn’t die for… 😉 You kids go beyond awesomeness every day ❤
I also made these glorious muffins! They same out perfect & were super delicious! xxx
perfect for the lunchbox – yum!