Avocado Chocolate Quinoa Muffins
The first time we made these chocolate quinoa muffins, I let my boys eat them for lunch. These muffins are really fudgy and more like a cupcake than not, so it was almost like eating dessert for lunch. NOT something we do often, but with these muffins I didn’t even care. They have healthy fats and slow burning carbs, which are great for little growing bodies.
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These chocolate quinoa muffins have a special ingredient. And it isn’t beans or bean flour either like many healthy chocolate recipes like to add.
So what is this special ingredient?
Avocado
Yep. That green fruit that you associate with guacamole and California.
As it turns out, avocado is good in desserts and sweet snacks as well.
Avocado is full of protein, fiber and B-vitamins. In studies of raw avocado it has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Another thing I like about the avocado is its appetite suppressing ability. This lower carb and high fat version of a chocolate cupcake {I’m telling you, it could pass for either…and if you fill the muffin cups higher than I do, it will rise more like a cupcake…} satisfies and doesn’t leave you feeling hungry and empty like most grain filled versions.
I don’t normally put frosting on these cupcakes, but sometimes I will sprinkle dairy-free chocolate chips on top before baking. We usually use Costco’s Kirkland Chocolate Chips. Dairy free, really yummy, and a great price, you can get a four-and-a-half pound bag for nine dollars. They do contain a little bit of soy lecithin but since the amount is so small and we use the chocolate chips rarely, we are fine with eating them. {This recipe was created when we were on a strict diet to help our oldest son’s leaky gut. At that point we weren’t eating eggs, dairy, grains, sugar, soy, and peanuts.}
There are two ways to make these chocolate quinoa muffins: with grain-free baking powder OR baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The baking powder will make muffins that retain their shape and are lighter and cake like, while the baking soda and vinegar version makes more of a single serve brownie that is dense and fudgy.
These allergy free cupcakes would be great for a birthday party or play date. There is no dairy, gluten, grain, egg, or soy. My testers didn’t know there was avocado in them until they saw me making them.
Chocolate Quinoa Muffins
1/2c coconut oil
1/2c mashed avocado
3/4c sugar or sugar substitute like erithytol
1/2t powdered stevia extract {I like Trader Joe’s brand}
2T heaped, flaxseed meal
1/2t xanthan gum
1 1/4c water
Cream the above ingredients together.
Then add:
3/4c quinoa flour
1c cocoa powder
1t salt
If you are going to use grain-free baking powder, add it now. The baking soda and ACV method is in the notes.
1T grain-free baking powder
Mix well.
Fill muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top. Bake at 350° for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Notes:
*I have not tried any other flours with this recipe. If you do try a different flour you may have to adjust the amount.
*For the baking soda and ACV method: add 1t baking soda to the dry ingredients IN PLACE OF the baking powder. Before putting batter into the muffin tin quickly stir in 2T apple cider vinegar. Do not overmix.
*If you can handle nut milks, using almond milk in place of the water is really yummy.
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Looks delicious, but what is xanthum gum? What section of the store do you buy it in? Is it absolutely necessary to the recipe?
Xanthum gum is used as a binder or thickening agent in many things. It is used in lots of gluten free baking recipes to help products have more of the crumb and texture of gluten filled goodies. In this recipe as in my it is used as an egg replacement. If you don’t have xanthum gum and don’t want to buy it, it can be pricey depending on where you find it, you can replace it with two eggs and reduce the water by half a cup. Just cream the eggs in with all of the rest of the wet ingredients. Follow the rest of the recipe as directed. I have done it with 4 egg yolks instead of two whole eggs as well.
Why do I always read these kinds of posts AFTER I’ve already eaten and most definitely do NOT need anything else to eat. LOL!!! These look delicious!! Why kinds of foods do you get to start adding back in now?
Lol!! You are a nursing mom again Amber, you can eat more if you want. 🙂 I’m sure Olive would love the chocolate. 🙂
We get to add rice in now. 🙂 I am going to make some pancakes tomorrow with rce flour and then we will eat it for both of the other meals. Then we avoid it for 3-4 days and watch for allergic reactions like constipation, diarrhea, eczema, swelling and inflammation. It will be slow going, but we are really excited to have rice in the house again!! 🙂
This is phenomenal! I have a recipe that uses avocado for brownies. Looking at the two, they aren’t that different. I think that the option using baking powder though will give it the look and feel of your typical grain-based cupcake. YUM!!
Avocado brownies sound delish!! Yes, the baking powder makes the texture much more like a “normal” cupcake. 🙂
Looks fantastic! I have made chocolate frosting with avocado before and it turned out wonderfully.
Yum!! I would love the recipe you used. I have tried it a long time ago and I didn’t care for it, but that was before we were on such a limited diet. 😛 I would love to try it again. 🙂
How interesting! I’ll have to give these a try as I really really need to be better at not eating gluten and such; my body just doesn’t like it at all. I say let them eat cupcakes for lunch and every meal for that matter! So long as I get to have twice as many.
These cupcakes are awesome for pregnant and nursing moms! So make them! Baby will love it! 🙂
Once you get off the wagon it is hard to get back on.. I really need to start eating less sugar, my body likes me better, but I have been eating lots of sweet things lately. 🙁 That’s partly why I used stevia in the recipe, I can handle that without getting all itchy.
I would never have thought to put avocado into a cupcake. I have three sitting around that I wanted to do something with. I’m going to have to try this. Looks absolutely delicious!
Let me know what you think!! And if you use any other flours, if you could come back and let us know how they turned out? Thanks for coming by Cheri!!
Yummy! These look so luxurious!
This looks good, although I don’t think I could find all these ingredients, may have to find a health food store. Great idea about the avocardo though, I know that’s super healthy.
I actually got the avocado idea from a book by Mercedes Donis, she has a recipe in her Twin Manibreasto book that uses avocado. Looking it up I found you can usually replace half of the shortening or butter in a recipe with avocado without having any major differences in the final product.
Awesome! I didn’t know that avocado can be mixed with cupcakes.. Thank you for the great idea!! ~ Richard Harer
Thank you for coming by! 🙂
I don’t normally like avocado, but I think I could handle it in these 🙂
You really can’t taste it, it just takes the place of some of the fat. 🙂
I’m not an Avacado eater at all.. but what a great trick for me to eat healthier!! These look scrumptious and I agree eating them for lunch is absolutely a great idea!1
🙂 I hope you try avocado in these than, Kim!!
These look great and so fun to have them be healthy too! I am currently on a gluten, dairy, and sugar-free diet and these look like they would be perfect! Thanks for sharing on #smallvictoriessunday!
Let me know if you try them and like them! 🙂 If you use a different flour I would love to hear your results.
This is def my kind of recipe. Love using avocado and sneaking it into kids food. My daughter always laughs when she finds out I tricked her into eating these kinds of treats….whatever works, right!?
Right!! My hubby loves these, and getting him to say he loves something can be difficult. 😉
I love adding sweet potatoes to pancakes and muffins. I’ve heard you can put spinach in stuff as well, but I haven’t tried that in anything besides a smoothie yet. 🙂
What do you normally sneak avocado in?
This is again a terrific recipe to have on hand for when I have my “allergy” friends over–and healthy! They look great! Thanks for linking up with the Tasty Tuesday’s Link-up. I have pinned your post to the Tasty’s Tuesday’s Pinterest Board!
Thanks for linking up with the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board!