Fudgy chocolate muffins with or without ganache, vegan and gluten free

This recipe is definitely one for the archives, especially if you like a dense chocolate muffin that’s vegan and gluten free.

These muffins do double duty.

They are nourishing enough to have at breakfast with coffee or tea, especially if you throw some roughly chopped walnuts in the batter.

Adding in a handful of dark chocolate chips brings excitement and into cupcake status. You may not feel the need for any frosting at this point. But if inclined, dust with powdered sugar or top with ganache. I’ve included a delicious and reliable vegan ganache recipe, below.

One more thing; you mix these in one bowl.

Fudgy chocolate muffins, vegan and gluten free

Makes about 11 - 12 muffins. Adapted from this recipe.

2 medium-size ripe bananas

1 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 2 ½ tbsp water (or 1 egg)

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 cup tahini (or other nut or seed butter of choice)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil (or plant butter)

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour (or 3/4 cup rolled oats)

1 1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional)

handful of roughly chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tin with paper cupcake wrappers.

In a large mixing bowl add banana, ground flaxseed and water. Mash to combine until fairly smooth.

Add baking soda, coconut sugar, maple syrup, tahini, sea salt, vanilla and oil, and whisk vigorously to combine.

Add cocoa powder and whisk again.

Add coconut flour (or gluten-free rolled oats) and stir to combine. Add almond flour, a little at a time, and stir to combine. If you find your batter too dry, thin with a bit of water. If it’s too wet, add a bit more more almond flour. The batter should be scoopable.

Lastly, if using, add chocolate chips and/or walnuts, and stir to combine.

Divide batter between muffin tins, filling almost all the way to the top.

Bake on the centre rack for 25-30 minutes. When cooked, a toothpick inserted into the centre will come out clean.

Let rest for 5 minutes and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely. The wrappers come off more easily and the texture is best when completely cooled.

Ganache:

4 oz 100% cocoa baking chocolate

4 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup coconut milk

9 pitted medjool dates

Over very low heat or in a double boiler melt coconut oil and chocolate. Once melted, remove from heat. Add to blender along with coconut milk, maple syrup and dates. Blend until consistency is smooth. You can chill in the fridge before spreading but I prefer to let it sit at room temperature until it becomes thick enough. That way it maintains a more creamy texture, ideal for spreading. 

Almond meal muffins, three ways

Recently, the convergence of beautiful fall weather, a craving for something made with pumpkin and finding this excellent recipe resulted in several days of muffin making. 

These muffins are nutrient dense and make a substantial snack between meals or as a breakfast on-the-go. Even so, they're surprisingly light in texture.

You can swap out the pureed pumpkin for diced apple and grated zucchini, or mashed banana, roughly chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chunks.

The variations seem endless, actually. I’m imagining a savoury one with goat feta and rosemary.

Almond meal muffins, diced apple

Here’s a basic recipe you can adapt. Makes 12 muffins.

Basic recipe

3 eggs

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1 tsp baking soda

Pumpkin muffins:

To wet mixture add I cup of pureed pumpkin, from scratch or canned.

To dry mixture add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.

Apple zucchini muffins:

To wet mixture add 1 cup grated zucchini and 1 apple, cut in small cubes.

To dry mixture add 2 tsp ground ginger.

Combine dry and wet mixture and fold in 1 diced apple.

Banana chocolate chunk muffins with walnuts:

To wet mixture add 2 small or 1 cup mashed ripe bananas and 1 tsp vanilla.

Combine dry and wet mixtures and fold in 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and 1/2 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped.

Preheat the oven to 350 F' and grease a muffin tin or use liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup and oil really well with an egg beater, electric beater or whisk. 

Depending on what kind you are making add either pumpkin puree, mashed banana and vanilla or zucchini.

In a separate bowl add the coconut flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt and (if using) spices. Whisk well.

Add dry mixture to wet mixture and combine well. Fold in either chopped chocolate and walnuts or diced apple.

Distribute the batter between cups. Bake on the middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool before removing from the pan.