Refried Beans…
No they aren’t in these muffins.
Actually, I’m going to tell you a pretty dumb wonderful story about refried beans.
So I have this “friend”.
She loves to cook, but sometimes she REALLY doesn’t want to cook. She’d rather have her teeth cleaned ten times (although, oddly she really likes getting her teeth cleaned)
So she eats refried beans.
Why? Because they are freakin’ delicious! And nutritious! I really don’t know why there are so many haters. Anyway…
This tasty habit occurred quite regularly to the point that her roommate could even tell her moods by the presence of absence of the signature can.
What is the moral of this story? I My friend just had the most delicious dinner of refried beans and rice. And then it inspired me her to tell me about it. Which got me thinking about muffins.
I’m sure you can see the connection here.
Last Year: Creamy Orange Bars and Armenian Nutmeg Cake
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chickpea Cake
Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
These muffins are moist and chocolatey. I would have to say these are probably my favorite chocolate muffins. They were gone in only a few days! The avocado is a replacement for some of the butter in the original recipe, so if you don’t have any (or don’t want to use it-although you really can’t taste it), you can use 4 tablespoons of butter instead. Also I used one cup of whole wheat flour to make the muffins a little bit healthier. You can use all-purpose if you want a lighter muffin though.
Feel free to try using dried fruit (like cranberries) or different flavored chips (peanut butter, white chocolate, etc.) in place of the chocolate chips. Also, you can drizzle chocolate on top for an extra decadent breakfast treat.
Finally, the ingredient list looks long, but it’s really not that bad!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium avocado, diced small (or an additional 1/4 cup of unsalted butter)
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips, but coarsely chopped bar chocolate works as well)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 scant cup whole wheat flour (or an additional cup of all-purpose for a lighter crumb)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant expresso powder (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup buttermilk (you can easily make your own with a few teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1/2 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (OR dried fruit, white chocolate, peanut butter chips, etc.)
Method
1. Place oven rack in upper third of oven. Preheat to 350°F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. Prepare a double bowler by filling a small pot with about two inches of water over medium heat and allowing it to simmer. Place a slightly larger heat proof bowl (VERY IMPORTANT!) over the pot with butter, avocado, and 5 ounces of chocolate. Make sure it’s NOT touching the water in the pot. Stir occasionally until completely melted – I had to mash the avocado a bit into it, but eventually it melted completely. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder in a medium bowl.
4. To the cooled chocolate mixture, mix in brown sugar. Then whisk in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla (if using) into the chocolate mixture until well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture all at once, folding with a spatula until there the flour is not visible. Fold in the chocolate chips (or dried fruit, etc.).
6. Divide batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Eat! I liked them warm because the chocolate chunks got melty and delicious.
Storage Store in an airtight container or individually plastic wrapped at room temperature for up to five days.They also freeze well for up to one month. I usually wrap them individually in plastic wrap, place them in a gallon freezer bag, and freeze then for quick breakfasts.
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook
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