Saturday 4 March 2017

Choc-Raspberry Muffins.


HELLO!! Remember me?! Probably not....it has been a mighty long time since I've been around here sharing a new recipe after all.

Well, the good news is that I am alive and well. In actual fact, I am very much alive and very very well indeed. See, I've been off an a 7.5 month adventure around the world, finding myself waking up in the middle of the Jordanian desert in the heat of summer, licking fruity gelato off my fingers in the Serbian sunshine, throwing snowballs in the snowy hills of Austria and dealing with 3pm sunsets in Stockholm, as well as a whole heap of other wild and crazy places and adventures in between. The one downside of all that is that I've been having so much fun out in the world and living out of a suitcase that I haven't had a whole lot of time in the kitchen creating new and tasty things. BUT, the upside of that downside (#confusing) is that my head (and my stomach) are now full of lots of inspiration from around the world, and I plan on using the flavours of the places I've been to create some new and exciting recipes!

First things first, cake. More specifically, chocolate cake.

This recipe isn't exactly inspired by anything or anywhere in particular, though I must confess, every time I eat fresh raspberries I am taken back to wandering cobblestone streets in the European summer and sunshine. I only realised that retrospectively though, so I can't exactly claim it as inspiration...

Anyway. It's exceptionally fitting that one of the first things I've created since been back home is cake. I do love me some good cake. I also love me some cake batter, and it would be very much a lie to say that I did not have a few cheeky spoonfuls out of the bowl pre-oven. Chocolate and berries will forever be one of my favourite combinations, especially raspberries, which are arguably my favourite berry.

I'll stop telling you about my culinary preferences now though and get on with the real reason we're all here; CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY MUFFINS!




Ingredients;
125gm vegan butter (I used Nuttelex), softened to room temp.
1/2 cup raw sugar/coconut sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water, mixed and allow to sit for 5 mins)
2 cups wholemeal flour (I use spelt flour)
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and vanilla using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add in the flax eggs, flour, baking powder, maple syrup, almond milk and cacao powder and mix in gently until just combined. Then mix together using an electric mixer on medium/high speed until well combined. Add in the chocolate chips and the raspberries and carefully fold them into the cake mix using a spoon.
4. Take a lined muffin tin and scoop approx. 2 tbsp of mixture into each muffin patty (depending on the size you're using, you may need more or less mixture). When all the patties are full, gently tap the tin on the table top to get air bubbles out.
5. Bake the muffins for approx. 15 - 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them that they do not burn. When cooked they should be firm to the touch.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
7. Serve with some raspberry-chia jam, some fresh raspberries and some extra vegan chocolate!


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