"Heaven On Earth" Chocolate Muffins

These muffins will leave you feeling like you are floating on cloud nine. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but maybe not. You will have to try them, and let me know. 

Either way, my family and friends love them. They have become a bit of a staple at our get-togethers, and they disappear almost instantly. Sometimes they end up being an appetizer, instead of a dessert. One time, my friend's 14 year old daughter licked the tops of two of them in an effort to keep the rest of us from eating them. Maybe I should have named them "Finger Licking Good" instead. 

What you'll need:

Muffin Tins

Muffin Papers

Cooling Racks

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup White Rice Flour

1/4 cup Potato Starch

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour

1/4 cup Ground Flax Meal

1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)

1 cup Sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips + some for sprinkling on top (optional)

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

1/4 cup Vegetable/Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place muffin papers in muffin tin and set aside.

In a measuring cup, mix milk and vinegar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/flour, flax, xanthum gum, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk together with a whisk to ensure even distribution. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add milk, and vinegar mixture, egg, and vegetable/canola oil. Whisk together until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips with a spoon or a spatula.

Scoop batter into muffin papers. I use a medium scoop (pictured below), and I'm quite generous with my scoops, usually 3/4 full or more.

Optional - Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with mini, semi-sweet chocolate chips. This makes them look pretty and professional. 

Place muffin tin(s) in oven, and bake for 18-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Baking time with vary depending on the size of your muffins and your oven.

Remove the muffin tin(s) from the oven, and let cool on stove top or cooling racks for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin(s), and let cool on cooling racks until completely cool. Eat and enjoy!

Makes 12-18 muffins.

Substitutions:

If you don't have or want to use flax meal, replace it with 1/4 cup potato starch. I add flax to my baked good as often as possible, because it adds valuable omega-3 essential fatty acids, lignans and fiber. I'll take the added nutritional value wherever I can get it, especially when I can't taste the difference.

If you want to kick up the protein, replace the rice flour with soy flour. This version is just as yummy as the rice flour version.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do. Please share your feedback. I would love to hear what you think.

"If you want something in your life you've never had, you'll have to do something you've never done."

Sheryl