After sharing my guide for gluten-free flour and starches last week, I wanted to create a yummy baked good that you guys could easily make your own, by using your very own all-purpose gluten-free flour blend! I decided to go with a whole grain blend to give these muffins a great texture. Feel free to make your own blend with your favorite flours and starches, whole grain or not. I make my all-purpose flour blends 1000 grams at a time, since it makes measuring simple, and then I have additional flour already made up for other recipes. For a whole grain blend, as mentioned in my previous post, I use 70% grains and 30% starches.

I am already overwhelmed with zucchini from my garden, so these muffins are a great way to use up some of the zucchini but also to sneak some veggies into an unsuspecting place. Chocolate is of course the real start of this show, the cocoa powder gives the muffins a beautiful color then you get the flecks of the little mini chocolate chips! YUM! The best part of this recipe is that it will work with any flour blend you choose. So make up your favorite all-purpose gluten-free blend using my guide for gluten-free flour and starches and as long as you are measuring the flour by weight for this recipe, it should work just fine.

This recipe was originally shared as part of my Restricted Diet series with the Free People blog BLDG 25.

[print_this]Whole-Grain Chocolate Zucchini Muffins {Gluten-free, Dairy-free & Nut-free}

Makes 12 muffins

• 350 grams whole-grain gluten-free flour mix* (approx 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup honey (I used raw honey)
• 2 large farm-fresh eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup grape seed oil, olive oil or melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, with as much liquid squeezed out as possible
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (make sure they are gluten-free and dairy-free)

* See above for the blend I used.  Any all-purpose flour mix should work here, gluten-free or otherwise, as long as you stick with the same weight for measurement.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl add the honey, eggs, vanilla, oil and zucchini, mix together well until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well until it is all well combined, then add in the mini chocolate chips, folding them in until mixed throughout.

Fill the paper-lined muffin tins about 3/4 full. Place the muffins into the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until they are cooked through and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.[/print_this]