Yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are satisfying for chocoholics while being healthy at the same time. They’re protein-rich, use whole grain flour and oat bran, and have added nutrients from the pumpkin. The only questionable ingredient is chocolate chips, and we use dark chocolate ones to make those a bit healthier, too. I even have a healthier alternative for those, which you can find below.

I love these muffins with soymilk for breakfast or a snack! My 2¾-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, loves them for snacks, too!

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Our Food Preparation Activities

I’ve talked before about the food allergies in our family. These gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are popular with everyone in our family. I have an alternative to traditional chocolate chips that makes them work for even sugar-free diets. Often, I’ll just melt 2 ounces of baking cacao (unsweetened baking chocolate) and then stir in ½ cup honey. I let that set in the refrigerator before cutting it into small pieces. I use those like chocolate chips!

I have a hard time keeping these muffins in the house. I keep healthy muffins in the freezer at all times, where they’re available for my kids and kids-in-law to grab and heat up for a quick snack. My family loves these pumpkin muffins all year, although they’re especially fun in the fall.

These muffins are a great recipe to make with kids. Zoey has experience measuring, pouring, and stirring from previous practical life and baking activities as well as making playdough together. Zoey always wears the apron from the Montessori By Mom Helping Hands Toolbox when we bake. Of course, it helps that we use the Learning Tower so that Zoey can safely and comfortably reach everything.

I don’t use perfect judging standards for my baking … I just care that it’s relatively healthy and my family enjoys it. But it is hard to have this recipe go wrong.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Because we have more than one family member with food allergies and low thyroid, I almost always bake gluten free. I also add oat bran to almost everything I bake since it helps reduce bad cholesterol (so I’ll be linking to gluten-free oat bran in the ingredients list).

I add protein powder to almost everything I bake, too. I started doing that as a mom of elite athletes, and I’ve continued to use it as part of my regular baking practices. My daughter-in-law (and daughter and son-in-law right now) doesn’t eat dairy and my husband and I eat dairy-free five days a week. So I use a vegan protein powder for baking. Whey protein also works great if you don’t mind dairy.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1¼ cups pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup honey
• ½ cup soymilk or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup oat bran (gluten-free oat bran if you want your muffins gluten free)
• 1 cup brown rice flour or garbanzo bean flour
• 1 level scoop vegan protein powder or whey protein powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chocolate chips ( I use dark chocolate chips, although semi-sweet chocolate chips work well, too. Some kids might not like the healthier dark chocolate. Zoey will eat either, so I typically go with the dark chocolate chips. If you want a simple but healthy alternative to chocolate chips, check out my directions in “Our Food Preparation Activities” above.)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F and add 18 muffin cups to 2 muffin pans (or use a cooking spray to spray each cavity). Add first 5 ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well. Stir dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Pour batter into muffin pan, filling each cavity to 2/3 or 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of your muffins are set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 10 minutes. Freeze or store in an airtight container.

Cracking an Egg for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Cracking eggs is always fun and great for fine-motor coordination.

Adding Pumpkin to Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin Batter

We just used canned organic pumpkin puree, although you can always be brave and get it from a fresh pumpkin!

Adding Honey to the Pumpkin Muffin Batter

There are always pouring activities involved in baking. Honey, the sweetener I almost always use, is particularly challenging to pour and makes great pouring practice.

Proud of Her Work Making Muffins

Zoey always loves that she’s able to turn on the mixer. I love that mixers now have splatter shields that also add to their safety.

Smelling Spices While Making Pumpkin Muffins

You don’t always have to set up special practical life or sensorial activities at home. Many Montessori-inspired activities can be included in basic food preparation. Here, Zoey is smelling spices used in pumpkin muffins … a fun sensory activity.

Enjoying a Healthy, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin

Of course, the chocolate is the best part, but it’s all good….

If you’re wondering, we used The Pioneer Woman napkins and placemat. Zoey’s outfit is from Gymboree.

Here’s your printable Yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe:

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Yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1¼ cups pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup honey
• ½ cup soymilk or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup oat bran (gluten-free oat bran if you want your muffins gluten free)
• 1 cup brown rice flour or garbanzo bean flour
• 1 level scoop vegan protein powder or whey protein powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chocolate chips ( I use dark chocolate chips, although semi-sweet chocolate chips work well, too. Some kids might not like the healthier dark chocolate. Zoey will eat either, so I typically go with the dark chocolate chips.)
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and add 18 muffin cups to 2 muffin pans (or use a cooking spray to spray each cavity).
2. Add first 5 ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well.
3. Stir dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just to combine.
5. Pour batter into muffin pan, filling each cavity to 2/3 or 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of your muffins are set and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool muffins in pan for 10 minutes.
8. Freeze or store in an airtight container.

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This post is part of Kids’ Kitchen Monthly Series

Check out the fun kids’ kitchen recipes this month!

• Kids’ Kitchen: Apple Pie Dessert Pizza | Sugar, Spice & Glitter
• Pumpkin Scones | Royal Little Lambs
• Apple Peanut Butter Bites | A Little Slice Of Us
• Caramel Apple Nachos | The Gifted Gabber
• Yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | Living Montessori Now
• Apple Muffins Recipe | Mess for Less

Enjoy! 🙂

Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy! I’m also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

Learn more about Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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