Very rarely do I come across a recipe that I follow to a T, but this recipe is totally the exception.
I discovered it on The Chalkboard Mag.
It has all the things I love to pack into muffin and pancake recipes, so imagine my surprise when I realized this muffin magic mirrored my food preferences AND it tasted so incredibly good! I just had to share! 🙂
The only variation I made was cacao powder (or you could use cocoa powder) because my kids go hard for “the chocolate” and I REALLY wanted them to love this recipe because of all the insanely nutritious ingredients tucked inside.
The other thing you might want to consider adding is some sweetness. If you finish these muffins off with yogurt and honey, or just honey, you’ll be fine, but my six year old would not eat it without something on top. That’s where some additional sweetness like maple syrup or coconut nectar, would be a nice addition to the batter. (If you’re making these for adults, just follow the recipe as is. I thought they were sweet enough!)
If you’re vegan, just omit the “honey” in the batter and substitute “grade B maple syrup.” You could also make a “flax egg” – 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 Tbsp hot water (see notes) to keep it vegan.
If you’re dairy-free, you could use a coconut yogurt or coconut whip for the topping, or just omit it all together.
While the ingredients list looks a little lengthy, it’s really not. Like all muffins it has a little flour, bananas (which is like an oil), peanut butter, milk, spices and a few superfoods (which could be optional).
The superfoods, however, will give you and your children a healthy dose of calcium, minerals, antioxidants and protein. All the things we need, but often struggle to get into our diet (especially the dairy-free folks).
These can’t be easier to make either. You just throw all the ingredients into a blender and then bake them for 12 to 15 minutes. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in 20 minutes! You can do this! (Fist bump!)
Here’s what you’ll need for these yummy, wholesome morning muffins!
Chocolate Muffins & Yogurt Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 c. gluten free flour
1/4 c. almond meal (that’s just blended almonds)
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 c. almond milk
2 ripe bananas
1 egg (vegan substitue: “flax egg” 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp hot water, see notes)
2 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp non alcohol vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
Frosting:
A dollop of greek yogurt on each muffin, drizzle honey on top of yogurt. You could also use coconut yogurt or coconut whip to make it dairy free.
Directions:
- Place almonds in blender and blend until it’s a fine powder, that’s how you create “almond meal.”
- Place all the remaining ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. You’ll likely have to blend intermittently so you can scrape the batter off the sides.
- Lightly grease your muffin tin with coconut oil. *I used two MINI MUFFIN TINS.
- Fill each muffin 3/4’s full (these muffins will rise.)
- Bake in oven 350 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, check to see if they are done by using a toothpick to poke in the center of the muffin, it should come out clean.
- Let muffins cool before putting on the yogurt frosting.
- Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top and a drizzle of honey, or just honey on top.
- Store and serve these from the refrigerator.
NOTES:
*To keep muffins vegan replace honey with two tablespoons of maple syrup and drizzle maple syrup on top.
*To make a “flax egg” place 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed into a bowl, add 3 Tbsp hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Mixture will turn into a gel, then add it to the blender to blend into the batter.
*Muffins made as is are gluten-free and vegetarian. The frosting made as is, is dairy and not vegan.
*Recipe credit goes to The Chalkboard Magazine
