Anyone else have fond memories smashing spheres of perfectly-welded chocolate orange segments on the table every Christmas and then slowly eating each delicate slice? I have to admit, chocolate orange isn’t actually my favorite chocolate fruit combo, but there’s something deeply nostalgic about it and every once in a while I absolutely crave it. Which is why, for our next installment in the GIANT muffin series, I give you: GIANT gluten free chocolate orange muffins with an extra-cozy hint of cinnamon, and a deliciously-easy chocolate orange glaze (you’ll want to pour it on EVERYTHING, let me tell you).
For those of you just joining, we started creating GIANT muffin recipes about 4.5 months ago after reminiscing over the giant Costco muffins we used to eat (read: devour) as kids prior to getting diagnosed with Celiac. This giant muffin saga has now consumed our every free moment (not really but it’s exciting) and we continue to create new flavors with gusto. Back to the rest of the giant muffins! So far we’ve made these giant poppyseed muffins, giant blueberry muffins, giant chocolate chip muffins, giant double chocolate muffins, giant banana nut muffins, giant strawberry rhubarb muffins, giant apple streusel muffins, these giant lemon raspberry muffins, giant cherry chocolate chip muffins, these giant coffee walnut muffins, these giant pistachio apricot muffins, these giant orange marmalade muffins, these giant zucchini muffins, these giant mango muffins, these giant peach muffins, these giant chocolate zucchini muffins, these giant lavender earl grey muffins, these giant lemon saffron muffins, and these giant ube white chocolate muffins!
Tips for the Delicious Giant Chocolate Orange Muffins:
A few tips for getting these to turn out perfectly:
- Use the right-size of pan! Apparently, Costco keeps their giant muffin pans as a trade secret because we can’t find them ANYWHERE on the internet and you can find EVERYTHING on the internet. Bravo, Costco, for a secret well-kept. However, we’ve found a way to crack the code and gone ahead and just used these brilliant 4-inch cake pans because, after careful inspection, we’ve discovered that Costco muffins are exactly 4-inches in diameter! HA! Take that, Costco-bakery-lords. I never thought I’d be regularly using 4-inch cake pans but here we are. I’ll just need to make a bunch of tiny cake recipes next!
- Let your batter REST, per the recipe, for at least 30 minutes. For two reasons: 1) the batter thickens as it rests which will greatly help suspend the chocolate chips floating in these muffins; and 2) something somewhere said that baking powder needs a bit more time to “activate.” Don’t quote me on this, who knows if it’s actually true.
- Don’t over-mix your batter! Muffins need a lot of lift, especially these giant ones, and if you over-mix your batter, you’ll end up with flat or sunken muffins which is no fun.
- Use a good 1-1 gluten free flour mix! We use the Bob’s Red Mill one (the baking mix), though we’ve heard good things about Cup-4-Cup. We’ve only tested this recipe with this one so if you want them to turn out exactly like ours, we recommend snagging a bag of that specific 1-1 gluten free flour.
- Do NOT open the oven door during baking time. Tape it shut if you have to! You can certainly turn on the oven light and peek and the gloriousness that is a set of rising muffins nearly-ready to be devoured, but do not open that door! Opening the door will immediately lower the oven temp and prohibit your muffins from rising correctly. If you’re in the last few minutes of baking and need to test to see if they’re done, open the oven just a tiny bit and reach in and just tap the top of one – if it springs back it’s done, if it presses in like a foam mattress topper, it’s not and needs a couple more minutes!
- These will keep in an airtight container (or in ziplock baggies) for a week or so – and they freeze REALLY well! So if you want to make a batch and save a bunch, put them in a sturdy plastic container or a freezer plastic bag and pop them in there. Then microwave for about 30-45 seconds (from frozen) before eating! I even like popping mine in the microwave for 10-15 seconds from room temp to get them all warm and floofy again before eating.
- GLAZE: glazes are a super easy way to elevate your muffin game. The glazes we use are essentially just powdered sugar and a liquid – in this case, milk and orange extract. The key with glazes is getting the consistency right – you want to be able to drizzle or pour the glaze, so it needs to be able to move a bit, but you don’t want it to just pour off your muffins completely. You want to get to a thicker consistency (it should be thick when you stir it), that slowly pours when you lift up your stirring spoon. This will ensure that your glaze stays mostly on top of the muffin and that it stays opaque and doesn’t run off in a giant puddle. If your glaze seems to thin and runny, just add more powdered sugar! Vice versa if it seems waaaay too thick and you can’t even get it to pour, add a touch more milk.
Giant Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Muffins
Equipment
- Six 4-inch round cake pans (link below to the ones we use)
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 Cup melted salted butter
- 1/2 Cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 Cup sour cream
- 1/2 Cup orange juice
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1 2/3 Cup white sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix link below to the one we use – must contain xanthan gum
- 1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 Cup unsweetened dutched cocoa powder
- 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
- 1 Cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-2 1/2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Make the muffin batter! It will need to rest at room temp for 30 minutes before baking. First, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, melted butter, sour cream, milk, orange juice, orange zest, and orange extract until thicker and smooth. Add in the gluten free 1-1 flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, dutched cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and chocolate chips and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Then let the batter sit either on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking (you can let it rest in the fridge for longer if you want).
- Once the batter has rested preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit and place your six 4-inch cake pans on a cookie sheet. Grease each pan with cooking spray, then spoon batter into each one evenly (they should be about 3/4-5/6 full). Bake for 5 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 350° (without opening the oven door!! Keep it closed) and continue 30-40 minutes until the tops are firm or a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (do NOT open the oven while baking or the muffins will not rise fully, only open the oven a tiny bit to check if done). Let cool nearly-completely before turning out and glazing.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze! In a medium cereal bowl, stir together all of the glaze ingredients, starting with 1 tbsp of milk and adding more as needed, until fully combined and very smooth (this may take some working). Check the consistency of the glaze: you're looking for a glaze that can drizzle over the muffins, but doesn't flow too quickly or it will simply run off and not hold on top of the muffins. Add more powdered sugar if it seems too thin/runny.
- Then use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the muffins, and serve! You can let the glazed muffins sit at room temp for 30-45 minutes for the glaze to harden, then put into zip-top bags and keep in the fridge or freezer for up to a week. Best-served slightly warm, so pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds from room temp!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your muffins!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
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