Baking up a New Way
Hey everyone! Mary here, the house baker at the Market. I make all the cookies, muffins and bars that you enjoy everyday! One of my favorite things about cooking and baking is experimenting with flavors and ingredients! In my years of experimenting with these flavors and ingredients, I have come across some really delicious recipes that use ingredients that are a bit….unexpected.
One of these creations is a flourless double chocolate muffin. How can a muffin be flourless, but still have a muffin-like texture? The answer definitely surprises a lot of people, and that is using quinoa! It produces a super moist, rich, and very chocolatey muffin that serves as a delicious breakfast or even dessert. Its perfect for those who need to eat gluten-free, or even parents looking to sneak some protein into a treat for the kiddos.
“Here’s the recipe:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
4 eggs, room temperature (needed for a nice and smooth batter)
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup melted and cooled butter
2 bags mini chocolate chips”
1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Be sure to cook enough to produce 2 cups total. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in 1 bag of chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. In a blender or food processor, combine the quinoa, eggs, milk, vanilla, and butter. Blend until smooth.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Divide into muffin cups and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until middle is set.
7. Immediately after muffins are out of the oven and still hot, sprinkle each muffin with mini chocolate chips and let cool.
Another ingredient that I have found makes delicious treats is beer! Beer has so much to offer in the flavor department, and using it in baking adds a depth of flavor to goodies like none other. I can’t wait to share my favorite beer creations with you, from crackers to cake! Want to know what they are and get the recipes to make them yourself? Come to Baking with Beer on Thursday, April 13th-hope to see you there
