Kids and a Cook™

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Kids and a Cook™
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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Michelle Day , , , , , , ,

Living Gluten free is receiving a lot more press recently. Gluten seems to be a hidden ingredient in almost every processed food. That’s because it’s always been an inexpensive source of protein and a food stabilizer. Bringing to light Celiac disease and the digestive problems gluten can cause people, more recipes are being developed that offer an enjoyable option for those people who suffer from Celiac disease. Until recently many gluten free recipes were just plain terrible. Even for those of us who do not have Celiac, opting for even a partial gluten free diet offers benefits: less ingestion of overly processed food, a clean and lower calorie way to eat, better digestion and absorption of nutrients and more real, ‘back to the earth’, farm-fresh kinds of food. Keep in mind, HOWEVER, that processed foods, whether labeled gluten-free or not, are still ‘processed’ and can have various additives (like extra sugars or salts) not necessarily all that healthy.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO READ THE INGREDIENT LIST. The shorter the better. And try to stay with food that man has done the least too!

The ingredient list on the white rice flour I use is just white rice, which is ground up. Potato starch is extracted from potatoes by crushing the potatoes and washing and drying to extract the starch content. All these ingredients are minimally processed and without additives (check the brand labels) and excellent for gluten free cooking.

The key to this recipe that makes it taste so good is the flour blend. These muffins are a lot like a moist corn muffin with the addition of a semi-sweet and dark chocolate blend of heaven. The sweet and bitter combination of the chips (encased by the crumbly texture and consistency of the muffin) is delightful and as tantalizing as chocolate can get.

You will want to make up batches of this flour blend to have it on hand for your baking needs. Store in an air tight, non-reactive container.

Flour Blend: (yields 4 3/4 Cups)

  • 1¾ Cup White Rice Flour
  • 1 1/4 Cups Brown Rice Flour
  • 3/4 Cup Potato Starch
  • 1 Cup Tapioca Starch

Ingredients:
(Makes 9 Muffins)

  • 1 Cup Flour Blend
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
  • ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter
  • ¾ Cups Sugar (or Splenda)
  • 1 Tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Gluten-Free Chocolate Chips
  • ½ Cup Bittersweet Gluten –Free Chocolate Chips
  • (A handful of chips for the cook (or kids) to nibble on.)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
  2. Whisk the flour blend together with the baking powder in a medium blow and set it aside.
  3. Combine the cream and eggs in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Use at medium speed — you don’t need to cook the butter nor do you want your kitchen coated in sugar spray!
  4. Slowly add the liquid to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
  5. Then, using a low speed, add your flour blend.
  6. Pour in your chocolate chips and combined by hand.
  7. Scoop the batter into muffin cups and bake 20 to 25 minutes. (Again the old rule applies: a toothpick should come out clean.)

Michelle Day

Michelle Day has been cooking and baking since she was old enough to hold a whisk. Michelle is an expert cook and her passion for cooking and entertaining has never wavered. At the age of 10 Michelle’s Family started a bakery in Simsbury CT, where Michelle got her first taste of running a food service business. In 1994 Michelle moved to New York City, where, she found her true passion in baking. In 2001 she started “The Catering Divas” Catering business. Serving the Upper East Side, she catered numerous small dinner and cocktail parties. Her passion and attention to detail won her the attention of some of New York’s Elite. Back at home in Connecticut, Michelle is a well known culinary instructor and her cake decorating skills jump-started a side business — Devine Cake Designs — where clients clamor for her inspired and beautifully artistic designs. After 15 years in the culinary industry, Michelle’s love of cooking, baking and children, has lead to her to her newest career, offering personalized family cooking classes and creating a TV show, digital broadcasts and Cook Books like no other. Kids and a Cook is all about healthy, fun, and easy meals for kids and their families. Michelle credits her parents with her success and her love of food, helping to create so many memories being in the kitchen with them as a child. Her goal is to have a show to help viewers create the same memories with their families. A show for the kids, and by the kids, with the “cook” there as guidance. Michelle’s featured co-host is an energetic, precocious 9-year-old named Elisabeth. Although a finicky eater, Elisabeth still loves to cook in the kitchen and learn about ingredients and how to mix them to make tasty dishes. Come join us — as you and Elisabeth learn easy recipes and explore culinary adventures. Michelle Day is available for lectures and cooking demonstrations. Please contact us through this website.