Hey everyone!! I hope your days have been warm because for some strange reason we have been seeing rain, wind and cold days.
I like rain once in a while. It's good for the plants and nature animals, the fish spawning need lots of water in the rivers (we had NO snow this winter) and I love the rain because I curl up on the couch with my kids, popcorn, and some how the dog gets his face right in there and munches on all the dropped popcorn. I love it all.
Rainy days are also perfect for making muffins! And once they come out of the oven its so hard to let them cool long enough before you want to bite into one of them. Especially a muffin topped AND filled with carob chips. Our local health foods store just got carob chips in the bulk section and my lovely friend Amber recommended I trade up the chocolate chips for the carob chips and it was the best advice I've gotten in a while!! Thanks Amber :)
These muffins were so easy to make. I always have brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, and oat flour on hand. I have buckwheat groats and quick oats on hand to blend into a flour if I run out. Chia seeds are super easy to blend up too. I blend up 1 cup and save the rest in an air tight container for my next batch of muffins, cake or cookies.
If any of you have made my Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups you'd know how awesome carob is! Carob lowers cholesterol levels, is a natural antioxidant - to help fight off those free radicals and help us look younger, has high amounts of calcium and selenium - two very important minerals!
Now...trying to eat only one is hardest part!
BANANA CAROB CHIP MUFFINS
Carob chips are the new chocolate chips! They are the treat of the future! And they were delicious. I made this batch with eggs but below I also share the flax egg option. I'll have to try the flax egg recipe tomorrow!
Makes 12 muffins
Muffins
Dry
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup raw buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 2/3 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp. chia seeds, ground
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. celtic sea salt, ground
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup carob chips
Wet
- 1 apple, peeled and core removed
- 3 organic eggs or three flax eggs (4 Tbsp. ground flax + 9 Tbsp. filtered water)
- 1 banana
- 6 Tbsp. filtered water
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup liquid sweetener - unpasteurized honey, maple syrup, or unpasteurized clear agave
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Garnish
- Hand full quick oats
- Ground celtic sea salt
- Carob chips
1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir well.
2. If using the flax egg - place 2 Tbsp. ground flax + 6 Tbsp. filtered water in a bowl. Place into the fridge to let set for 10 minutes. Place all of the wet ingredients into a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Don't forget about your flax egg, if using.
3. Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. Be sure to break down flour clumps.
4. Line a muffin tray with muffin liners/cups. Fill with batter, evenly until batter is gone.
5. Sprinkle oats, 3 carob chips and a dash of ground celtic sea salt onto each muffin.
6. Place muffin tray into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 27 minutes. Stick toothpick in and make sure it comes out clean. If not add more time. 2 - 4 minutes, as needed. Take muffins out of the oven and let sit in the tray for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
