I’m done with all-purpose gluten-free flour. But…didn’t you just use it in this recipe? YES, fine. I did. And you know what? Even with fresh zucchini I grew myself, loads of cinnamon, sugar and chocolate chips, that grainy, unfortunately familiar texture was still there. That doesn’t mean all gluten-free baked goods taste this way, it’s just that the all-purpose store bought stuff has let me down.

Let’s be clear on something: I bake gluten-free items because my mom is intolerant. Not because I think it’s trendy, healthy, or anything like that, because it’s really not any healthier than a balanced glutenous diet. If you don’t have a reason to avoid gluten, I’d recommend using whole wheat flour for this recipe, or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose. I know, Wheat Belly scared you, but you’ll be OK if you have a sandwich here and there.

That being said, if you do need to bake gluten-free, I’d say start making your own mixes. Brown rice flour seems to be consistent in flavour and texture. Same with oat flour—you can literally grind up oats to make your own and it works in all sorts of recipes. I like chickpea flour, but it has a tendency to dry out, so make sure you use that in recipes that are rich in moisture-boosting ingredients: bananas, yogurt, etc.

If you have a food processor with a grating attachment, you know the amazingness that is tossing in mass quantities of food and having it shred in seconds. If you don’t, get one (seriously) because grating food by hand is for chumps. Of all the kitchen tasks, grating is probably my least favourite. That, and putting away dishes.

I adapted this recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring.

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour or a homemade blend of GF flours (see above)
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp. fine grain salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/3 cups fresh zucchini, grated
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin tray, or place individual paper liners in each cup, and set aside.

In a large bowl, gently mix the flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl, add about 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients to the chips and toss to combine. Set the chips aside.

To the flour mixture, add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and whisk to combine. Add 1 1/4 cups of the grated zucchini to the dry ingredients, and mix gently to combine. Set aside the dry ingredients.

Place the remaining zucchini, the eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla in a blender, and pulse until well-blended and smooth. Create a well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients to the mixture. The batter will be very wet. Add about 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and reserved dry ingredients to the batter and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Scoop batter evenly into muffin tins, sprinkling the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Muffins are fully cooked with a toothpick can be inserted and removed without any visible batter on the end. Place on a metal wire rack to cool completely before storing.