Chocolate-y Choco Chip Muffins

Muffins: Gluten Free & Dairy Free / Icing: Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Sugar Free

My husband loves chocolate cake and since it was a special day for him yesterday, I decided to make him a special treat. I whipped up this recipe and luckily I had butternut squash on the counter, yes you read that right, butternut squash lol! Mind you, I could have used sweet potato or beet puree but I decided to go with the butternut squash. In addition to these muffins, I decided to turn them into cupcakes with my Chocolate Coconut Icing. You’ll find the recipe below. Enjoy!

Chocolate-y Choco Chip Muffin Recipe (makes 12-15 muffins)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp pink salt or sea salt
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 pastured eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup puréed butternut squash (but you can use whatever you have on hand: sweet potato puree, beet puree, apple puree, etc.)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I like to use Enjoy Life chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:

FIRST: If making butternut squash puree, peel, deseed and cut the butternut squash into chunks, drop into steamer basket and steam until you can easily poke fork through the squash, then mash and set aside. While the squash is steaming, you can start with preheating oven to 325F. Place 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin. You might need an extra muffin tin since this recipe tends to make about 15 muffins. Melt the coconut oil. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cacao powder together. Then add the eggs and honey and mix well to combine. Add the butternut squash puree, that has had time to cool down a little. Next, add the coconut oil and blend well. Finally add the chocolate chips and mix in well. Fill the muffin liners with the mixture to about 3/4. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes. Remove and let cool off before eating. Can be kept in the fridge up to one week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Chocolate Coconut Icing Recipe:

• Can of coconut whipping cream (I use Cha’s Organics)
• 3 tbsps of cacao powder
• 3 tbsps of monkfruit (you can use sweetener of choice; honey, maple syrup)

Directions: Make this recipe right before icing the cupcakes, do not make it ahead of time. If it’ll be a while before your celebration, ice the cupcakes and put them in the fridge until the main event. The icing will melt in hot weather so refrigeration is required. Place all ingredients in a bowl and using a hand-held mixer, blend until ingredients are well combined. Takes maybe 1-2 minutes. Finally you can put icing your cupcakes and serve. Any leftover icing can be stored in the fridge and left at room temperature a few minutes before putting icing on more cupcakes.