Paleo muffins make great snacks, grab and go breakfasts, or a healthier sweet treat. These gluten-free chocolate banana paleo muffins are made with almond and coconut flours. Lately, I’ve been making a batch of muffins every week during my meal prep to use as snacks at work or to satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner.
Baking with almond flour
Almond flour is the type of flour that I use most often when I’m doing gluten-free baking. Be sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond flour is more finely ground and produces a fluffier muffin.
I’ve started adding a little coconut flour to my almond flour baked goods because I’ve found that it produces a texture more similar to using regular flour. In this recipe, I added ¼ cup of coconut flour to 1.5 cups of almond flour.
Almond flour can be on the pricier side so you want it to last. Since it’s made from nuts it can go rancid over time so I store mine in the fridge to help keep it fresh.
Cacao powder
These muffins use cacao powder rather than melted chocolate. I always keep almond flour and cacao powder in my pantry, however, I don’t often keep chocolate chips in my pantry since I would end up eating them before I could bake with them. Therefore, I wanted to create a chocolate muffin that didn’t require melted chocolate.
Raw cacao powder is a little different than cocoa powder. Both come from beans of the cacao plant, however, cacao powder is made from unroasted beans while cocoa powder is processed from roasted beans. I like to use raw cacao powder due to its slightly higher nutritional content. Since cacao powder is processed at lower temperatures it retains more enzymes, nutrients, and minerals than cocoa powder, however, it is slightly more bitter.
Don’t worry if you don’t have cacao powder, you can use natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) instead.
Natural sweeteners
The banans and maple syrup are the natural sweeteners used in these chocolate banana paleo muffins.
Ideally, you want to use bananas that are really ripe. Muffins are a great way to use up super ripe bananas that are too mushy to eat.
This recipe also uses maple syrup rather than refined sugar. If you don’t have maple syrup, you can use another natural liquid sweetener like honey or agave instead.
How to store leftover muffins
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in a container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Making a double batch and freezing some is a good strategy to keep a healthy chocolatey treat on hand when the urge for something chocolate strikes. Just pop an unwrapped muffin in the microwave for about 2 minutes at half power to warm it up.
More gluten-free baking recipes to try
Blueberry almond flour muffins
Lemon raspberry almond flour muffins
Banana peanut butter baked oatmeal squares
Chocolate Banana Paleo Muffins
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup raw cacao powder (can also use unsweetened natural cocoa powder)
- 3 eggs
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (can also use coconut oil or olive oil)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and add 12 paper liners to a muffin tin pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed banana, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin liners.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until you are able to insert a toothpick into the center and have it come out clean.
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