My son will eat almost anything in muffin form. He LOVES muffins. I love muffins too since they are a compact vehicle for breakfast and I can pack them with lots of nutrition to power our mornings. We have a rotating set of muffins that we make, and I also like to try new recipes to add to our repertoire and keep things interesting.
I’ve always done a lot of recipe modifications and experimentation and I’m trying to be better about writing things down, particularly if I like the result, so that I can recreate a recipe later. So, I’m ready to share a recipe I’ve been working on for a little while. This has been a heartily approved and frequently-requested muffin by my 4-year old. That said, this is not a dessert brownie recipe, nor is it a traditionally super-sweet muffin. The level of sweetness works really well for our tastes as a (slightly decadent) breakfast item. These have a hint of spice from the cinnamon and cayenne, which complements the dark chocolate and gives the muffins a more complex flavor, reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate.
Note: If you are used to sweeter baked goods but would like to try eating less sugar overall, try slowly cutting down the amount of sugar a recipe calls for (for example, start by cutting the sugar down by about 1/4). Over time, you will likely find that you don’t need quite as much and may find lower-sugar recipes to be more satisfying. Although we absolutely still eat “regular” baked goods as treats here and there (like at grandma’s house!) and are certainly not “sugar-free”, I like to watch the amount of sugar we are eating on a day-to-day basis, especially because it can be found in so many sneaky places. We do our best to simply practice balance around here.
These muffins are pleasantly dense (kind of halfway between a brownie and a muffin texture), rather than being a fluffier muffin texture. They are also gluten-free, vegan, low-sugar, easily made nut-free, and yes, they contain spinach! But don’t worry, they don’t taste anything like spinach. They are also made in a blender, so they are quick to whip up and they freeze beautifully! We always freeze muffins to keep them fresh and then simply pull them out in the morning and microwave for around 30 seconds to defrost for a perfect and portable breakfast.
I like these muffins warm with a smear of natural peanut butter and some chopped pecans on top. My kids usually eat them plain, but they’d also taste great with other toppings like maybe almond butter and some shredded coconut. If you find you’d like a little more sweetness you could always dust these with powdered sugar, which would also be really pretty!
Mexican Chocolate “Brownie” Muffins (With Hidden Spinach)
Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sugar, Easy!
Ingredients:
WET
3 large handfuls (about 5 cups) of raw baby spinach
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup oil (* I use avocado but you can use any neutral-flavor oil)
1/2 cup unsweetened nut or other plant-based milk
1/3 cup ** date paste OR maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DRY
1 1/4 cups GF oat flour (or blended oats; measure after blending)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips (*** the higher the cocoa percentage, the lower the sugar content will be)
* Olive or canola oil will also work (however I find that extra-virgin olive oil is sometimes too strong a flavor profile for baked goods unless it is the desired flavor)
** If you’ve never made date paste before, it’s so easy! Find the method HERE.
*** I usually use 70–75% dark chocolate chips. If you wish to control the sugar content further, you can try a higher percentage dark chocolate or add fewer chips, but it will potentially change the flavor and sweetness level, so this is all due to personal preference.
Purée spinach and wet ingredients first, then add dry ingredients.
Instructions:
Yield: 12 muffins
Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a 12-muffin tray or use muffin-tin liners; set aside.
Put all wet ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth and no chunks of spinach remain.
Add in all dry ingredients except chocolate chips and blend until well-mixed. Remove blender blade if possible (or pour batter into bowl if blade is in the way) and stir in chocolate chips. Distribute batter equally into the 12 muffin wells (they’ll be nearly full) bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
*Each muffin contains about 4 grams of “added sugar” (refined sugar) from the chocolate chips and about 10 grams total, assuming use of date paste and unsweetened applesauce and plant-based milk.
