Chocolate Muffins -- And Now For Something Completely Different ...

CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

Well, it has been a few years since I've posted. I've done a lot of cooking in the past few years, although I haven't documented it. And it's only gotten smarter and sexier. (I, on the other hand, am a different matter.) And I've hatched a mini-me (actually, a mini-he), so my cooking has also become kid-friendlier.

As my harried mom-friends continue to clamour for easy and nutritious recipes to feed their kids, I thought I would stop being so lazy, and at least try to post once in a while. If I can remember how to write :).

Here is a recipe for decadent-tasting chocolate muffins that are guilt free for you and nutritious for your kids. They aren't the end-all and be-all of nutritious, but they are up there on the good for you scale. They actually do qualify as food, as opposed to falling in the nebulous category of food-like substances. My husband wolfed down a couple and then started to pass them out to the guys who are renovating the house next-door. He likes to get people to take a bite and then tell them after that it's good for them, just to watch the surprise register on their faces.

Here's the recipe. Questions? Let me know and I'll do my best to clarify my convolutions and explain my quirks.

1 1/4 cup filtered water, warmed

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/4 cup clear agave

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp egg replacer + 4 tbsp filtered water

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup pecan meal

1 cup almond meal (blanched)

1/2 cup kamut pastry flour (whole grain)

1/2 tsp baking soda

preheat oven to 345

1. soak dates in water for 10 minutes, and then puree dates and water together

2. add rest of 'wet' ingredients and puree again

3. stir in dry ingredients one by one

4. scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. I use silicone cups placed on a baking sheet. They need to be oiled the first couple times you use them, but after that are amazingly non-stick, and wonderfully non-wasteful.

5. bake for 30 minutes in the center of the oven

6. remove from oven when the top feels springy to your touch

7. remove muffins from muffin tins or silicone cups a few minutes after removing from oven.

makes 24 (small) muffins

enjoy ... :)