Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Anyone who lives a gluten-free life or has a loved one faced with living this lifestyle knows how difficult it can be to find authentically delicious baked goods.  Bread aside, imagine living without home-baked cookies, birthday cakes, brownies or dessert bars?  It can be really tough.  When I was first diagnosed 4 or 5 years ago (it's all a blur) I will never forget hearing my doctor say, "If you have to have a disease, Celiac is the one you want.  All you have to do is eliminate gluten and you will be 100% healthy."  The first word that came to my mind was glucose aka sugar aka chocolate - to which I then replied in a very weak, soft voice, "So can I still have chocolate?"   

Later when it was explained to me that eliminating gluten meant all wheat and grains (not chocolate - whew!!) - the reality hit like a ton of bricks.  I come from a long line of bakers.  My family is eastern European and very traditional - we bake.  We eat dough.  We love it.  And now I could have none of it.  For 2 years I lived without any home-baked goods.  Even though there were cookbooks, none of them looked very enticing and all of the flour combinations seemed so overwhelming and, frankly, depressing.  One day something in me snapped and I decided I would have a chocolate chip cookie again dammit!!  And thus began the experiment and hunt for the right flour concoction.  I shared this one once before here - just scroll down and there it will be.  I make a large batch and substitute it cup for cup with regular flour.  It makes wonderful home made treats that are just like the regular stuff.  Everyone else living the non-gf life can use this recipe with regular flour for some of the best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins you will ever have!!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups sugar (I use evaporated cane sugar)
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups grapeseed oil (you can use vegetable if you'd like)
3 cups gluten-free (or regular) flour 
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet (or dark or milk) mini chocolate chips

1. In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth. 
2. Mix dry ingredients together.  Sift together completely if you are using the gluten-free blend.
3. Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients - especially if you are gluten-free whisk and don't beat with traditional beaters.  Gluten-free flour is very sensitive so you don't want to over whisk - just until the mixture is smooth.  Then fold in chocolate chips.

     4.  Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins about 3/4 full. 

     5.  Bake at 400F for approximately  16-17 minutes. 

 This recipe yields about 30 wonderful muffins.

See, they even look like the real deal...and I promise they taste just as good.

This was a fave recipe from my former gluten-filled life!

If you happen to stroll by my house this weekend and look in the window, you'll know it's me if you see this:

You can be 100% certain if you hear two cats hissing and screeching from inside the screen door at a very nice black and white friendly cat that will be perched outside just trying to be friends with them.  I'm living with two hooligans who refuse to make nice with the neighbors!

Have a great weekend everyone!!