Chocolate Spice Veggie Muffins

Muffins usually don't come to mind when considering a nutrient-dense breakfast, but these pack in many minerals and vitamins, thanks to the spinach, carrots, and spices. The rich cocoa, filled with antioxidants, covers the vegetables' flavor, so what kiddos (and adults) have are warm, decadent, flavorful chocolate bites perfectly sweetened by maple syrup. We love these for morning or an afternoon snack, covered in ghee. 

This recipe yields 12 servings


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup overripe bananas
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • 130 grams overripe bananas
  • 130 grams grated carrots
  • 60 grams spinach
  • 2 eggs
  • 82 grams maple syrup
  • 4 grams baking powder
  • 4 grams baking soda
  • 3 grams ground cinnamon
  • 100 grams cocoa powder
  • 1.6 grams salt
  • 5 mL vanilla extract
  • 125 grams almond flour
  • 10 mL apple cider vinegar
  • 55 grams coconut oil
  • 85 grams chocolate chips (optional)
  • Flakey salt for topping (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with liners. Set aside.

  2. Combine eggs, banana, carrots, spinach, maple syrup, coconut oil, vinegar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Pulse a few times until combined. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips (if using).

  3. Portion batter into prepared muffin tins. Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Be careful to not over bake. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!


Tips

*Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.

 

Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

A healthier take on the classic Reese’s candy, these are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free. I use my favorite baking chocolate from Sweet Laurel, which is made with just two ingredients: cacao and maple sugar. Almond butter offers more healthy fats, fiber, iron, calcium, and vitamin E than traditional peanut butter, which we rarely buy anymore for a number of reasons. (Here’s some helpful insight, which can help you make an informed decision about peanut butter.) Overall, I think these treats are decidedly more delicious than the classic version.

This recipe yields 12


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon quinoa flour
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons maple flakes
  • 128 g coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon quinoa flour
  • 64 g almond butter
  • 260 g chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons maple flakes

Directions

  1. First, make your powdered sugar substitute by mixing the coconut sugar with the quinoa flour in a blender. 

  2. Combine the almond butter with the powdered sugar substitute.

  3. Melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan or a double broiler.

  4. Pour melted chocolate into thick layers in cupcake papers and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until hardened. 

  5. Add almond butter mix on top of the first layer, then top with a second layer of chocolate.

  6. Top with maple flakes and place back in the refrigerator until the cups harden. 


Recipe Tips

*Make sure the foundation of chocolate is thick so that there is a good base to hold the almond butter and top layers to create the cups.