Homemade Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

With more and more people finding out they have celiac disease or have a gluten or wheat intolerance or sensitivity, recipes for items that do not include gluten and/or wheat are on the rise. Luckily, finding ingredients that are gluten free is becoming easier. I like experimenting with gluten free items just for the heck of it. But I also thought it would help with some of my issues. I do not have celiac disease, but so many people I run into swear they have more energy and feel better overall when they cut out gluten. I went gluten free for a week and did not feel any difference. But some people say I should have gone longer. Considering most people say they feel the difference right away, I figured I gave it the old college try. Maybe I’ll go longer if I try to go gluten free again. For now, substituting gluten free items in my diet is just a way to be more health conscious.

The following recipe is adapted from the recipe given on the back of Trader Joe’s (yes, I know I love Trader Joe’s) cocoa powder. I have cut the recipe in half and made some additions even though it was my first time making the recipe. But I just knew certain tastes were needed based on experience. Some items are not split exactly in half: for example, I can’t split an egg in half, so it was bumped up to three. The original recipe called for regular flour. Since I was using a gluten free flour, xanthum gum was added per the suggestion on the back of the bag of flour. I also added some Godiva hot chocolate powder because I love dark chocolate. I have added in some aspects that were lacking in the original directions. For example, they never said whether the butter should be solid, softened, or melted and the directions were simply to add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together then bake.

• Is wheat and dairy free
• Contains flour from potatoes, sorghum, tapioca, garbanzo and fava beans

• 1 2/3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

• 2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp Godiva hot chocolate powder (optional)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ Tbsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp xanthum gum
• Dash of cinnamon
• 6 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

1. Line or grease 2 twelve-count muffin tins.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Set a sifter/mesh strainer over a large bowl.
4. Put flour, powders, baking soda, salt, xanthum gum, and cinnamon through sifter/strainer. (This ensures there are no lumps or chunks of one ingredient in the batter).
5. Melt butter and add to dry mixture.
6. Add in milk, vanilla, and eggs.
7. Stir with a spoon until it starts to combine and become moist. (This eliminates the dry ingredients from flying all over the place in the next step).
8. Use an electric mixer to thoroughly incorporate ingredients.
9. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

• I liked the taste, especially for being gluten free and not having any wheat flour. My husband was not so convinced. However, my kids loved them.
• I split the sugar between regular cane sugar and brown sugar.
• The flour smells a little weird, but tastes fine when cooked.
• Even though this recipe was cut in half, it made a lot of batter. More than I expected, in fact. So I actually initially used a 12-count muffin tin along with a 6 count one and made a small chocolate loaf in a bread pan and added in chocolate chips. The original recipe was for two 9-inch cake rounds.