Zucchini is my favorite thing to put in recipes these days. And I knew it was only a matter of time before I made zucchini muffins. Because of my long-term love affair with chocolate, I knew they needed to be chocolate too. So here we are! With a delicious chocolate zucchini muffins recipe on our hands. Imagine that.
Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins
This is a game-changer for me. I used to LOVE English muffins, but avoiding the processed stuff available at the store is important to me. Doesn’t mean I won’t splurge on some Dave’s Killer bagels every now and then (not GF – sorry!), but when a girl wants an English muffin, she needs something simpler. Like THIS recipe I customized from The Big Man’s World. It’s actually from Natalie at Feasting on Fruit, and I love her blog so much and try a lot of her recipes. And this one is a real winner, you guys. Breakfast just got a little better.
Sweet Pineapple Oatmeal
Fresh pineapple is so, so good. Isn’t it? When it’s ripe and not burning your mouth off, it’s wonderful. And, recently, we’ve found out that it’s mega delicious in oatmeal! (What isn’t delicious in oatmeal, really?!) Usually, I’m the Oatmeal Queen around here (with baked oatmeal being my fave thing ever). But Husband has been making this stovetop pineapple oatmeal lately, and I’m so thankful because it’s amazing and simple.
Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal
If you can’t tell, I’m obsessed with baked oatmeal right now. From chocolate oats to French toast oats to oats with zucchini, I’ve been trying a lot. And I’ve already tried a blueberry pie, so thought I’d try apple pie oatmeal. And YUM, y’all. So much yum.
Cashew Milk
This cashew milk is my absolute favorite. It’s sweetened from dates, and it doesn’t need to be strained! If you’ve ever made almond milk (or read a recipe about almond milk and decided NO), then you know how not fun straining milk is. I’m SOOOO all about whatever’s easiest, and cashew milk is soooo easy! Plus, it’s forgiving and customizable. So let’s do this.
Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins
These cornbread muffins are heavily inspired by Minimalist Baker’s gluten-free cornbread. However, I love cornbread in muffin form, prefer coconut sugar over cane, and don’t use oil when I bake. Which means I changed it up a bit and absolutely LOVE it. Even my nonevegan/non-GF parents love these muffins! So, if you’re interested–even if you’re not vegan or gluten-free!–you should check this recipe out. The end result is worth working with the aquafaba, in my opinion.
I love making them when Husband makes a big batch of chili, but they’re also a great breakfast, snack, or dessert. They’re super impressive though. The pickiest of eaters in my family love them, and if they do, most people will. So give these a shot. They’re so yummy!
Let me know if you try this recipe! Rate it, comment below, or take a photo and tag me @fruitsohard on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations. Happy eating!
- 3/4 unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup aquafaba
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar*
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp fine cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan recommended)
- 1/3 cup applesauce
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and ready your cupcake/muffin tins. I have silicone muffin cups, so I don't use nonstick spray or parchment paper, but feel free to do so. Alternatively, you can bake these in a 8x8 pan** instead.
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Add non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar to a small bowl and set aside.
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Pour aquafaba into a medium mixing bowl and beat with mixer until small peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time and keep beating until it's glossy and firmer peaks form. Then set aside.
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Mix dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
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To the dry ingredients, add the milk/vinegar mixture and the applesauce and stir to combine. Then add the aquafaba/sugar mixture and gently mix until combined.
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Add batter to prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then enjoy!
*Or you can use 1/2 cup cane sugar (total) for a more traditional cornbread muffin and leave the coconut sugar out.
**For an 8x8, bake for 25-35 minutes.
**Inspired by Minimalist Baker.
Chocolate/Peanut Butter Pecan Baked Oatmeal
This one comes from procrasti-baking. I really wanted second breakfast more than I wanted to start writing my next book (which, deep down, wasn’t even true, but I thought food couldn’t hurt anyway). So I gave this one a whirl. First, I scrolled through The Oatmeal Artist‘s blog to find some inspiration. Thought this one sounded delicious, but I didn’t have any zucchini on hand, though her blog always makes me wish I did. So I gave something similar a go with what I did have on hand, and YUM! Pure yum.
Chocolate Sweet Potato Mousse
Surprise, surprise–this recipe didn’t start with an abundance of ripe bananas! It’s a first. This time, it was a plethora of sweet potatoes. I’ve made chocolate cake and frosting with sweet potatoes before, but I had some left over and wanted to use it up to make something else with cacao. Because I’m obsessed with chocolate stuff right now (baked brownie oats, fudgy cookies, and ice cream bites). So I figured why not make some kind of pudding with sweet potatoes. But it turned out more like mousse when I tried Naturally Nutrious‘s recipe. Um, YUM! I hope you enjoy!
Chocolate Smoothie
I make smoothies a lot. Just about every day. They’re a staple in my diet because they’re quick, simple, filling, and delicious. And they’re a great way to hide the stuff we don’t want to eat separately because of taste (think turmeric, flax/chia, greens, etc.). We can make them taste like chocolate and enjoy it so much more! Here’s a recipe I make almost on the daily for breakfast or lunch.
Banana/Squash Bread
It’s winter: the perfect time for squash recipes. Husband wanted to cook a butternut squash, so I decided that it was a great time to make some bread (recipe from Minimalist Baker – love that blog! Go follow!) out of our leftovers the next day. And what a fabulous idea that was! Mmmmm. This bread baked up so nicely! It smells just as good, and I couldn’t wait to cut into it.
