“Healthy” Double Chocolate Dessert Recipe
It’s a new year, and if you’re about 90% of people, you decided you’re going to eat healthier in 2019. To help you along the path of sticking to your resolution for a few weeks before falling off the wagon and joining me for wine and pizza in February, here’s an easy and delicious dessert recipe that happens to be pretty good for you! Best of all, it’s gluten free, soy free, and dairy free. It can also be egg free, if you’d like. Quick, delicious, and accommodating for many diet restrictions, it’s kind of the perfect treat to start out a new year on the right foot. Left feet are always so unpredictable.
The ingredients for this recipe are easy to find, most of them likely coming from a natural foods section in any given grocery store. You should have about half on hand in your kitchen already. After you’ve shopped, all you need is a food processor or a blender, a bowl, a rubber spatula, and a muffin tin. A spring-loaded ice cream scoop is handy to ensure even batter portioning, but is not necessary.
These things will last for several days and can be frozen for a quick breakfast or snack. Try making mini ones, portioning/freezing them, and tossing them into your kid’s lunch box in the morning - MUCH healthier than the pre-packaged ones from the store, much more delicious, and they’ll be thawed by the time they sit down to eat!
If you follow the recipe exactly, you can consider the finished products either muffins or cakes. For a more fudgy, brownie-like treat, omit the eggs! These are amazing with vanilla ice cream in place of a brownie. I like to add little dark chocolate hats to mine, topped off with pistachios, raspberries, and pearls. Enjoy.
The Seasoned Cynic’s Double Chocolate Dessert
Yields roughly 20-24 regular sized muffins/cakes
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup UNsweetened nut butter (cashew, peanut, almond… your choice)
• 1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
• ¾ cup natural, local honey
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1 tablespoon unflavored oil (vegetable, canola, avocado, peanut… your choice)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup ground flaxseeds
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup banana (roughly 2 regular bananas)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature (omit if you want something more like brownies!)
• 1.5 cups dark chocolate chips, divided
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Blend the nut butter and banana together in the food processor (or blender), then add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the eggs and chocolate chips. Pulse for several minutes until well blended. Add in eggs and combine just until blended. Scrape into a bowl and stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.
3. Prepare your cupcake pan with baking spray or paper liners. Scoop batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the tops.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until risen and rounded on top with a matte finish. Set aside for 10-15 minutes, then remove from tin and allow to rest until cooled. Or top with frozen yogurt while they’re warm and enjoy a treat that’s only a bit sinful! Happy New Year.
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Note: For fudgy brownies, omit the eggs!
