I’m sorry… does that say chili pepper? On my chocolate muffin? Really?
Trust me. It sounds a bit odd, but it works! And it’s good! I don’t know if the cayenne, chili pepper, spicy-kick thing mixed with chocolate is new or just becoming more common, but suddenly I see the pairing in ice cream, truffles, chocolate bars and now these Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Chili Muffins!
The best thing about these fudgy-yummy-chocolatey-muffins is that they are grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free! Translation: Good for you! I’ve used beans as the base for sweet treats before (Black Bean Fudgy Cookies and Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies) and have been really happy with each outcome. The beans make for a thick rich texture that is moist and chewy all at the same time.
And I’ve truly never been able to detect any bean taste, whatsoever. The chocolate, banana, cayenne and honey completely steal the show and create a lovely flavor that seems both satisfying for a healthy treat, yet filling and nutritious enough for a decadent breakfast.
And if spicy is not your thing, you can definitely leave out the cayenne pepper and red chili flakes and still love these muffins. With the quantities I’ve suggested in this recipe, the cayenne flavor is subtle, but of course that can be adjusted according to your taste.
It’s one of those things where you take a bite and immediately taste the sweet chocolate with just a touch of the banana and almond butter, then as you swallow a faint trace of the spicy cayenne sets in, which makes it a bit refreshing and of course immediately sends you for another bite!
As Easter and Mothers Day are quickly approaching, these would be a great addition to a brunch menu! Speaking of things quickly approaching, where does the time go?! April? How in the world is it already April?
Sounds like the perfect time to sell a house, right? Hope so! I mentioned in my last post that we are listing our house for sale, so excited! We spent this past weekend working in the yard and getting it pruned and ready for new homeowners.
In addition to yard work, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen developing and testing recipes I couldn’t get out of my head and I am thrilled to say I’ve got a lot of tasty {healthy} dishes that I can’t wait to share in the upcoming weeks!
Stay tuned!
Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Chili Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 can organic black beans thoroughly rinsed
- 1/2 cup all natural almond butter
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1/4 cup quality cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup carob nibs ground to flour consistency (see notes)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 organic egg gently beaten
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips chopped
- hot chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease mini muffin pan using coconut oil cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil spray.
- Add carob nibs to food processor or NutriBullet and blend until fine powder or flour consistency, set aside.
- Once carob nibs are set aside, add the rinsed black beans, almond butter and banana to food processor, blend until well combined and fairly smooth (do not worry about getting it too smooth at this point).
- In a separate small bowl, combine: cocoa, ground carob nibs, cayenne pepper and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in the food processor and pulse 3-4 times to gently mix.
- Next, add in the vanilla, honey and egg, then blend until smooth consistency. The batter may be somewhat of a liquid texture.
- Pour the batter into greased miniature muffin cups filling nearly to the top.
- Place muffin tray in the oven and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until muffins have risen and toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
- While muffins are still warm, sprinkle tops with chopped dark chocolate chips and crushed red chili pepper (if desired!).
- Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.
- Store muffins in refrigerator for a week or so, if they last that long!
- Enjoy! :-)
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Inspired Edibles.
