Hello, my loves! Welcome to my first recipe I've posted since the pandemic. I hope you are all safe, healthy, and finding light through this difficult time. I pray for those who are currently sick, the departed, and their loved ones. My household is comfortable being in lockdown. However, the extrovert (busy body) in me gets pierced with anxiety if I'm not creating, planning, or doing. Luckily, I've put myself on a strict schedule, and part of my routine includes recipe creation. For this specific blog post, I thought it would be fun to create a recipe that includes everyday ingredients that most of you would already have in your pantry! And since we're quarantined, we might as well utilize what we already have on our shelves. So here are my Double Chocolate Brownie Muffins! They're gluten and grain-free, made only with natural sugars. I used Lilly's Chocolate Chips and D'vash Sweet Potato Nectar in this recipe. If you don't have those items, you can replace with whatever you have on hand. Keep an eye out for the substitutions.
TIME: 30 MIN
YIELDS: 12 SERVINGS
CAL 138 | CARB 17 | FAT 6 | PROTEIN 5
INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce can) black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup of any kind of creamy nut butter (or seed butter if allergic to nuts) 2 medium sized ripe bananas 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 1/4 cup real maple syrup/coconut sugar/monkfruit/ D'vash date nectar 1/4 cup of almond flour (oats if allergic to nuts) 1/4 cup of cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda Cooking/baking spray Fillers 1 1/4 cup Lilly's chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips) 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Place the beans, bananas, nut butter, syrup or sweetener, and vanilla extract in a food processor. Blend until the batter is smooth. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the food processor. It make take a few pulses because the beans take a while to puree.
4. Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, Himalayan salt, baking powder, and baking soda directly into the food processor with the other ingredients. Blend until everything is well-combined.
5. Fold in the chopped pecans and 1 cup of chocolate chips in the food processor with the batter. Stir with a spatula. Scoop out 1/4 cup servings of brownie muffins in each muffin cup 6. Evenly distribute the remaining chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Be sure to press the chocolate chips into the surface of the batter otherwise they won't stay on top after the baking process.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clear.
8. Allow the muffins to cool completely before pulling them out of the tin, otherwise they'll fall apart. Scoop muffins out with a spatula. They should be somewhat fudgy and dense. Store in the refrigerator.
Optional pecan glaze:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut milk (or butter if you prefer )
Dash of salt
Place all ingredients in a non-stick skillet. Simmer on low-heat until ingredients are well-combined or sticky. Pour the glaze over the muffins after the muffins have cooled to room temperature.