red velvet beet muffins
years ago i used to be known for my red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. i even have a friend who used to visit from NY all the time and his request before every visit was that those cupcakes be waiting for him when he landed. they were definitely a favorite around here, but definitely not something you could guiltlessly eat on the regular..
so i got inspired to try and ward off those red velvet cravings with a healthier version. though these are definitely not as sinful and decadent as biting into a cream cheese frosting smothered red velvet cupcake, they are rich and chocolately and quite delicious. and because of their clean ingredients, not only do they make a great treat for dessert, but also a great grab and go option for breakfast.
i love slathering a little peanut butter on these and also crumbling one up into a bowl with coconut yogurt, bananas, berries and peanut butter for breakfast. i mean, when is a chocolate muffin ever a bad way to start the day??
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-8 | 10 mins. | 30 mins. | 40 mins. |
Ingredients:
- 3 small cooked beets (i used love beets because it's convenient--beets take forever to cook!)
- 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour*
- 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- a pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- avocado oil or coconut oil for greasing the pan
*to make these gluten free, you can sub 1 cup almond flour (i use almond pro) for 1/2 cup all purpose flour. because almond flour is more sensitive to heat than all purpose flour, tent pan with foil while baking).
Directions:
- blend oats on high until ground into a fine flour and place in a medium mixing bowl.
- stir chia seeds in water and set aside for ten minutes, until gelled.
- stir apple cider vinegar into almond milk and set aside for ten minutes.
- combine beets, chia mixture, coconut oil, maple sugar, vanilla extract and almond milk mixture in a blender. blend on high until smooth.
- in mixing bowl with oat flour, add all purpose flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt. stir together.
- add wet mixture from the blender to the bowl with the dry ingredients. stir together until just combined.
- stir in chocolate chips.
- scoop batter into greased muffin tin.
- bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 (depending on size), or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.
Toddler Tip:
my little loves to slather these in some organic chocolate hazelnut spread!!
i noticed if you use freshly steamed beets (as opposed to packaged beets), the color comes out more red. i also made these larger and had to cook them longer, so the tops got crispy.
