These Almond Flour Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins are gluten-free with a base of almond flour, cornstarch and eggs. They're lightly sweetened with brown sugar, incredibly soft and tender, and packed with mini chocolate chips and cinnamon. This small-batch recipe makes nine muffins and uses a high-to-low temperature trick for perfectly domed tops!
Want to save this recipe for later?
Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox. You'll also receive new recipes from me regularly!
Table of Contents
How to get the perfect domed muffin top (with almond flour!)
I'll be honest, I've never quite mastered the perfect dome on my almond flour muffins. On muffins made with conventional flour - definitely. These spiced eggnog muffins have the best bakery style tops!
But, almond flour can be a little tricky as it lacks gluten. While my almond flour muffins taste great and rise fine (like these almond flour zucchini muffins), they never quite achieve that perfectly rounded top I'm looking for.
Until now!
I pulled a few tricks from some of my almond flour cake recipes and other muffin recipes I have on my site, and gave these almond flour chocolate chip muffins perfectly domed tops!
There are two main reasons these muffins are perfectly domed, and it's not the addition of more baking powder. (I actually tested double the baking powder and the muffins expanded out, not up!)
- Start high and end low. This is a common technique for baking muffins with wheat flour. The muffins bake at 425F for 5 minutes, which activates a quick rise. Then, reduce the temperature to 350F so the muffins can bake through without browning too much.
- Beat together the brown sugar and eggs with an electric mixer. Just for a minute, until the mixture is foamy. (You don't want the mixture to thicken, but you want bubbles to form on top). This is probably not as common a technique for muffins, but it works for my almond flour cakes and cupcakes. The process dissolves the sugar and aerates the eggs, which helps the muffins rise.
Ingredient notes
There's no long list of specialty ingredients for these gluten-free muffins. Just 10 ingredients using mostly kitchen staples!
- Almond flour - For the softer muffin texture, opt for fine blanched almond flour over almond meal.
- Cornstarch - Combining cornstarch with almond flour helps create a light and tender muffin as it absorbs some excess oil from the almond flour.
- Eggs - You'll need 4 large eggs in order to give these muffins lift, as well as moisture and structure.
- Cinnamon - I went with two teaspoons of cinnamon to really amp up the flavor. Feel free to use more or less to suit your taste.
- Chocolate chips - I used mini chocolate chips so you get little melty morsels of chocolate in every bite of muffin! I also went with semi sweet over dark, as the muffins on their own aren't overly sweet.
Measuring your ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
How to make these gluten-free chocolate chip muffins
My tried and true tips for making these muffins (or any muffins, really)
- Use muffin liners. I prefer to use liners for most muffin recipes to prevent them from sticking to the pan and browning too much on the sides and bottom. Parchment liners are my favorite for not sticking to the muffin.
- Room temperature eggs. I almost always use room temperature eggs so they mix into batters easily. In this case, they also help the brown sugar dissolve quickly.
- Don't overmix the batter. This pretty much goes for all batters, but I say it again because you don't want tough or dense muffins. After the wet ingredients are mixed together, switch to a spatula to stir in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
- Finish with extra chocolate chips. This is optional, but I always like to add a few extra chocolate chips on top before baking. Their melty, glossy appearance just makes the muffins look so inviting!
- Be careful not to overbake. Almond flour browns quickly so keep an eye on the muffins. If they overbake even for a minute or two, they will end up a bit dry.
Frequently asked questions
Of course! I just like to use mini chocolate chips because you get more of them dispersed throughout the muffins.
You can try these muffins with chopped nuts or dried fruit. I would avoid fresh fruit as I haven't tested how the additional moisture would impact the muffin texture and structure.
I usually keep them stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. If you want them to last longer, you can definitely freeze them.
Just replace the chocolate chips with plant-based chocolate chips!
More chocolate chip muffin recipes
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our newsletter and follow Crumb Top Baking on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (234 g) fine blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (115 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (95 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Place nine muffin liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat together the eggs and brown sugar until foamy, about 1 minute. (You don't want it to thicken. You just want bubbles to form on top).
- Add the oil and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and use a spatula to stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter into the 9 muffin liners, filling them almost to the top. Add more chocolate chips on top (if desired).
- Bake at 425F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350F (without opening the oven door) and bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use muffin liners. I prefer to use liners for most muffin recipes to prevent them from sticking to the pan and browning too much on the sides and bottom. Parchment liners are my favorite for not sticking to the muffin.
- Don't overmix the batter. This pretty much goes for all batters, but I say it again because you don't want tough or dense muffins. After the wet ingredients are mixed together, switch to a spatula to stir in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
- Be careful not to overbake. Almond flour browns quickly so keep an eye on the muffins. If they overbake even for a minute or two, they will end up a bit dry.
Want to save this recipe for later?
Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox. You'll also receive new recipes from me regularly!
Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
Did you make this recipe or have any questions?
I love reading your comments and addressing your questions, so please leave your comments and ratings or questions below!
Leave a Reply