Raspberry Chocolate Muffins (grain-free : gluten-free : nutrient-dense)

Sweet-tart raspberries and dark chocolate are a fantastic flavor combination. This grain-free muffin recipe relies on a combination of coconut flour and arrowroot starch, which creates a lighter muffin than using coconut flour alone.  These muffins are moist, yummy, and bursting with flavor!

This recipe is rich in healthy protein and fat. I like to make these muffins using a combination of sucanat and sugar for the sweetener; the lighter taste of sugar allows the bright flavor of raspberries to really "pop" in this recipe. However, sucanat can be used exclusively if you prefer to use only unrefined sweeteners.

Raspberry Chocolate Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch 
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) grassfed butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup of sucanat or a combination of sucanat and sugar (I used a 50/50 mix of sucanat and organic sugar for a lighter flavor)
• 5 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 1 Tb organic vanilla extract (or use homemade vanilla)
• 3/4 tsp organic almond extract 
• 1/3 cup organic sour cream, preferably from pastured cows
• 1 heaping cup organic frozen raspberries*
• 3/4 cup of soy-free chocolate chunks

1. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  (I prefer If You Care Unbleached Baking Cups because the muffins do not stick to the sides of the cups.) 
2. Combine the coconut flour, arrowroot starch, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk it all together to break up any lumps.  
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Combine the butter, sucanat and sugar in a large bowl (a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer works great for this recipe). Cream together for a couple minutes until the mixture turns slightly lighter in color.
5. In the meantime, combine the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract in a small bowl. (I find that a Pyrex glass measuring cup works great for this because the pour spout makes it easy to add these ingredients to the mixer while it is running.) Do NOT mix up the eggs at this point.
6. Once the butter and sucanat/sugar have become well-mixed, mix in the eggs one-at-a-time.  With my stand-mixer, I can just pour in each egg while the mixer is still running.  Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to get everything incorporated well. (It is okay if the mixture looks a bit curdled during this step.)
7. Add the sour cream to the wet mixture and mix it all well.
8. Add the dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Because there is no gluten in coconut flour or arrowroot, there is no worry about overmixing this recipe.
9. Stir or mix in the raspberries and chocolate chunks.
10. Use a 3-Tb scoop or large spoon to scoop the batter into the muffin cups.
11. Bake the muffins at 325 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, until a they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out dry. (The baking time will be less if fresh berries are used instead of frozen berries.)
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving. I like to freeze half of the muffins, to be re-warmed in a toaster oven as an easy breakfast for my daughter in the coming weeks.

*Except during our local berry season, I find that frozen berries have far superior flavor to the fresh ones sold in grocery stores.


Links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same, but I earn a small commission. Thanks for supporting this site!