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Rich, festive, and completely dairy free and gluten free, this Peppermint Chocolate Muffins Recipe is the perfect holiday treat! Made with simple ingredients, these Christmas muffins have a cakey yet fluffy texture and are bursting with rich chocolate and refreshing peppermint in every bite. Baked in the oven in minutes, they’re perfect for quick breakfasts, after-school treats, edible gifts, desserts and more!
The Treat Santa Really Wants This Year
The Christmas season is in full swing! Roads are filled with people out shopping, the sweet sound of Christmas music fills your ears everywhere you go, and there just seems to be a general sense of cheer in the air. Am I right? Whether or not you celebrate, I think we can all agree that there’s just something so special about this time of year. While the festivities are fun, I know the one thing we all look forward to is the treats that come along with the season!
From peanut butter blossoms to raspberry thumbprint cookies, and more, there’s no shortage of desserts! I love cookies and treats as much as the next person. However, one of my all-time favorite Christmas recipes is these peppermint chocolate muffins! I know what you’re thinking…Christmas muffins?! Say whaaat? Yep! Perfect for breakfast, afternoon snacks, or even desserts, these chocolate muffins are as festive as can be and totally delicious, too.
Even better, they’re made with simple, gluten free ingredients and are allergy friendly to fit a wide variety of dietary needs! So, go ahead and embrace the spirit of giving and whip up a double batch – one for yourself and one for a friend.
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint Chocolate Muffin Recipe
Clearly, we’re huge fans of these chocolate muffins. Honestly, the reasons why are endless. So, to spare you, we’ll just name a few! They’re:
- Made with gluten free, dairy free staples.
- Full of festive flavor.
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks, and desserts.
- Great for giving as holiday gifts.
- Baked in less than 25 minutes!
Key Gluten Free Ingredients You’ll Need
Made with two types of chocolate, these Christmas muffins are sweet, refreshing, and so delicious. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Gluten Free Flour – We use a combination of almond and coconut flour to achieve a soft, tender texture and a decadent, moist taste.
- Cocoa Powder – Plain unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder forms the base of this chocolate muffins recipe while adding a boost of antioxidants!
Note: Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is totally fine to use, but we prefer dutch process cocoa, because it has been treated with an alkalizing agent that eliminates some fo the natural bitterness found in cocoa for a sweeter flavor.
- Peppermint Extract – Just a little goes a long way to infuse a fresh peppermint flavor.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – We like to use dark chocolate chips for their added health benefits and richer taste, but any chocolate chips you like best could be used.
- Crushed Peppermint Candies – Technically optional, these are sprinkled on top for extra festive flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Baking Staples – Of course, you’ll also need a handful of baking staples including sugar, baking soda, salt, avocado or light olive oil, eggs, dairy free milk, and pure vanilla extract.
Flavor Variations, Swaps, & Add-Ins
If you aren’t a fan of peppermint, want to make these chocolate muffins all year long, or just prefer a little extra flavor, try some of our favorite variations, swaps, and add-ins below!
- Replace the granulated sugar with a sugar substitute like monk fruit or Swerve.
- Use cacao powder for an extra-rich chocolate flavor and extra polyphenols and antioxidants. Or, use hot cocoa powder for a festive swap!
- Add a little crunch with chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans.
- Mix and match the chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, or even chocolate candies.
- Make this chocolate muffins recipe completely dairy free with vegan chocolate chunks.
- Remove the peppermint extract for plain chocolate muffins you can enjoy all year long.
How to Make the Best Peppermint Chocolate Muffins
This chocolate muffin recipe comes together super quickly when you follow the instructions below. You’ll just need a muffin tin, two bowls, and a cookie scoop!
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well combined.
- In a second, medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until smooth.
- Working in batches, add the wet mixture to the dry, combining to form a smooth batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the muffin cups ¾ of the way full, and sprinkle chocolate chips and crushed peppermint on top.
- Bake the chocolate muffins until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
Baking Tips
Don’t Overmix. Combine the ingredients just until they are smooth. Continuing to mix will result in dense, tough chocolate muffins.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients. This will allow for easier mixing and will help keep your muffins tender.
Let the Muffins Cool. We know it’s super hard to wait but trust us. It’s worth it! Allowing the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack ensures they don’t crumble and fall apart.
Avoid Using an Electric Mixer. This will make it difficult not to overmix your muffins. A bowl and spatula are all you need!
Use Muffin Liners. Foil or paper liners will help prevent the muffins from sticking to the tin.
Adjust the Baking Time. Every oven cooks differently. So, be sure to keep an eye on your muffins, and adjust the baking time as needed.
Storage Options
These chocolate muffins are great to make and enjoy all week or give away as gifts! Once baked and fully cooled, they can be transferred to an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or, freeze them for up to 3 months! When you’re ready to eat, transfer them from the freezer to the fridge, and let your muffins thaw overnight.
Common Questions About
What’s the difference between a chocolate muffin and a chocolate cupcake?
Answer goAlthough they’re both baked in the oven and made with similar ingredients, chocolate cake and chocolate muffins are not the same. The primary difference is in their texture. For instance, cakes are fluffy and soft whereas muffins have a denser, bread-like texture. In addition, cakes are made with much more sugar and are significantly sweeter than muffins.es here…
What’s the secret to moist muffins?
When it comes to creating the perfect chocolate muffins, their texture plays a huge role. To ensure they turn out moist, be sure to follow the recipe card as stated, and follow these tips!
Can I make this chocolate muffin recipe vegan?
It’s difficult to use vegan egg substitutes to replace 3 whole eggs. So, we don’t recommend it! Instead, we suggest trying out some of our other vegan muffin recipes like these dark chocolate vegan muffins or our healthy carrot cake muffins instead.
Can I make mini muffins with this recipe?
Sure! Just fill the pan ¾ of the way full, and adjust the baking time as needed. Mini muffins are likely to bake much faster than their regular-sized counterparts.
Can I use a gluten free all purpose flour for this recipe?
Due to the unique texture and consistency of almond and coconut flour, we do not recommend it.
More Tasty Gluten Free Muffin Recipes
Love these gluten free muffins? Take a look at more of our favorites below!
- Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins (Vegan Option)
- Gluten Free Coconut Orange Muffins
- Spiced Pear Muffins with Nut Topping (Paleo Option)
- Flourless Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
Peppermint Chocolate Muffins (Gluten Free)
- Author: Lindsay Cotter
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12–13 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gluten free peppermint chocolate muffins are full of rich chocolate and refreshing peppermint for an irresistibly delicious festive treat!
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 2 cups (200 g) fine blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) coconut flour
- ½ cup raw sugar or sugar substitute
- ¼ cup (40-45 g) dutch cocoa powder*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 Tablespoons avocado oil or light olive oil
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ – ⅓ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, more for topping
- Optional Topping: crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin pan with liners or generously spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the almond flour, coconut flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the oil, eggs, milk, vanilla extract and peppermint extract.
- Working in batches, add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips until incorporated.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, pour batter into prepared muffin tin, filling ¾ full. If desired, top with additional chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candies.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Top each muffin with crushed peppermint candies, if desired.
- Once muffins are cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Substitutes –Use dairy free chocolate chips, if needed. Hot cocoa powder can be substituted for the sugar and cocoa powder – reduce the sugar to ⅓ cup and use ½ cup (86 g) hot cocoa powder (about 3 packets) for the cocoa powder.
Storage Tip – Once cooled, store muffins in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20-22
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 243
- Sugar: 13.2 g
- Sodium: 147.7 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.6 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 42.9 mg
Keywords: hot cocoa muffins, dark chocolate peppermint, gluten free breakfast, dairy free holiday recipe, healthy Christmas recipe
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