Cocoa Quinoa Chia Muffins

Have you ever eaten something so delicious and rich in flavor but had that thought in the back of your mind, "I'll work it off tomorrow"? Of course you have.

Have you ever eaten something so delicious and rich in flavor and knew that you could even have two if you wanted because of how many health benefits it had? You have now!

I purchased a bag of chia seed about a month ago and have been on the hunt for different ways of using it beyond the typical chia pudding. 

After some googling and linking to different blogs, I found the original recipe for these muffins here. Seeing as how I didn't have mesquite flour and hadn't the slightest idea of where I could find it AND didn't have the patience to wait another day.. I decided to try some substitutions, and here is what I came up with...

Ingredients

1/4 c coconut flour

*1/4 c quinoa flour

1/2 c cocoa

1/4 c chia seeds

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs (or 2 eggs if tolerated, I'm sure you could use flax eggs or chia eggs)

1/2 c + 1 tbsp vanilla hemp milk (I use Pacific Foods brand)

To Prepare

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Make your egg replacer, whisk until frothy and add to the dry ingredients, add hemp milk and stir until all ingredients are mixed together. You should get a mousse-like texture. Lightly spray 6 sections of a muffin pan with canola oil (or use paper liners). Fill each section as close to the top as you can, wet fingers and smooth out the tops. Sprinkle a dash of turbinado sugar on top for a sweet crunch (optional). Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. 

These muffins are great warm or cold, they can be kept in an air tight container or plastic bag on the counter for about 4 days, then I would suggest keeping them in the refrigerator. These are perfect for a mid-morning snack, delicious as a dessert or a great way to lightly fill you up before bed. Top with soy ice cream or berries for a real treat ;-)

These are so satisfying that you'll start to crave them as soon as you run out! (Trust me, I've made the recipe about 4 times now in the last 3 weeks... and yes I do share them). 

Notes

*As far as substituting the quinoa flour, you can use more cocoa, carob powder (the cocoa and carob mix is delicious), quinoa flakes will work but make the muffins a bit more crumbly. Amaranth flour will allow for added protein and a denser muffin. I'm sure rice flour/sorghum flour would work but would also probably create a more crumbly, less stable muffin. 

**Adding dried fruit at the end would be a wonderful idea, particularly dried blueberries/cherries! 

Give these a try and let me know what you think! And most of all... enjoy these healthy yet sinful little treats!