Black bean muffins

These muffins are great if you need to trick children to eat something healthy. They taste like regular dark chocolate muffins while they made entirely of beans. They don't only taste but look like chocolate muffins. This is important too as children won't put into their mouths a suspiciously looking think. They were really nice and it's hard to believe that beans may taste so good :). Next time when I will be making them I will skip the chili, they were a bit too spicy for little ones.  Anyway  you have to try them. The original recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 24 mini muffins:

• 190g cooked or tinned beans (1 cup)
• 120g almond butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 banana
• 50g cocoa powder (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp gluten - free baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 ml honey (1/4cup)
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• chili flakes optional

If you use dry beans soaked them in cold water overnight. Pour the water over the beans covering them completely.  Then cook them in the water they were soaked in until soft. Drain and set aside to cool down. While using tinned just drain them.

Preheat the oven  to 200C. Slightly grease the muffin tin. Even if yours is covered with non - stick layer it's highly recommended to grease as this type of butter sticks a lot while being baked.

Put the beans in blender, add the almond butter and banana. Blend the until smooth. The mixture is very thick so it takes time to blend all ingredients. Then add to the mixture in the blender the cocoa powder, chili, baking powder, vanilla, honey, salt and egg. Blend them until smooth.  

Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Filling each cup 3/4 full. Sprinkle with chili flakes if you wish. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until risen. Then remove form the tin, place on a wire rack to cool down. 

  Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish.

Almond meal muffins

Those flour free muffins were very delicious. Soft with lovely crunchy crust, sweet and sour thanks to fresh raspberries. Perfect for those allergic to flour. We loved them ! 

The recipe comes from this website. 

Ingredients for 8 muffins:

• 200g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 60ml water
• 60ml canola oil
• 100g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 180. Line muffin tin with paper cases. 

Place the ground almonds, baking powder, salt and sugar in a big bowl and whisk the together.

In separate jug mix the eggs with oil and water. Pour this mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients.

Gently fold in the raspberries.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, half full. 

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

 Enjoy !

Seeds muffins

Those muffins are made of seeds only. Their main ingredient, which actually holds everything together, is the psyllium husk powder. Those seeds are very good to your health their help with weight lose, help to maintain the proper level of cholesterol... to read more about them look here. 

The idea to make them came to me when I baked the the life - changing loaf of bread. Although it is said that this bread may be eaten either  with sweet or savoury topping the coconut fragrance make me to think about coconut seed muffins. 

Ingredients for 12 mini + 2 regular size muffins:

• 60g sunflower seeds
• 60g desiccated coconut
• 70g rolled oats
• 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 200ml water

Preparing those muffins is extremely easy.

Prepare the mini muffin tin. If the muffin tin holes are not coated with non stick layer then the holes need to be slightly greased. Set aside.

Place the sunflower seeds, coconut, oats, psyllium seed powder, salt, sugar into a big bowl and stir them well. Melt the coconut oil and stir it into the seed mixture. Then stir in the water. Spoon the mixture into prepared earlier muffin tin pressing the seeds into each hole tightly. 

Set aside the muffin tin overnight or for at least 2 hours. This time is needed for psyllium husk the expand and form a gelatin - like mass which will hold all the seeds into shape.

Preheat the oven to 175C. Insert the muffin tin into preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes and bake until golden. Then remove from oven shake out the muffins onto flat baking tray and bake them for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy :)