Double Chocolate and Quinoa Muffins

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 large or 12 small

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

¾ cup (115g) *rapadura sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp cocoa
1 cup (100g) **almond meal
1 cup (120g) quinoa flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ cup (125ml) natural yoghurt 
100g dark chocolate pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced) and lightly grease 6 large (160ml) or 12 medium (80ml) muffin tins.

Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and beat to combine. Add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate pieces and mix well.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin tins. For larger muffins use a ½ cup measure per muffin, for smaller muffins a ¼ cup per muffin. Evenly disperse the dark choc pieces between all muffins, poking them into the top of the batter.

Bake large muffins for 30 minutes, or smaller muffins for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the muffin. Lift out onto a wire rack to cool.

Note: *Rapadura sugar is a whole sugar that undergoes minimal processing. This allows it to retain a higher nutrient content than white sugar, which when refined to create crystals loses much of its nutrients. Rapadura sugar is simply the product left behind after evaporating the water from the sugar cane juice and has a unique, caramel flavour. Substitute the same quantity of rapadura sugar for regular sugar in any recipe. It is available from health food shops, and is usually an organic product.

Note: **Almond meal: It is so doable and worthwhile to make your own almond meal. Process ¾ cup (100g) whole raw almonds to produce the required 1 cup of almond meal. Leftover almond meal is best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight glass jar.