Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Muffins

Awhile back, after finishing a recipe that called for hazelnuts (hello you delicious rack of lamb and full head of cauliflower), I found myself with an extremely large amount of leftovers – thanks to a mother who multiplies anything on a grocery list by 5 just in case an entire unexpected party decides to show up for dinner. As I began reorganizing my drawers to fit the random bag of hazelnuts somewhere that I knew would go avoided for the next few months, I realized that hazelnuts are one of the main ingredients of an oh so deliciously unhealthy old school pantry staple that I haven’t had in forever: Nutella. While I'm still confused how Nutella is marketed as a “breakfast option”, being packed with sugar and other not-so-great ingredients, I thought to myself “what if I made a Nutella that would actually be an acceptable breakfast option? Like a muffin? And why not add in my favorite thing I used to put Nutella on – bananas?” With my mind whirling and my childhood Cam doing her happy dance, I decided to make my own Nutella to include in, and spread on top, banana muffins. Let me just say: Holy. Shit. Do yourself a favor and throw out the jar of Nutella in your pantry (seriously, do that) and make these muffins instead. You will not be sorry or miss the sugar laden real (but really fake) version.

Ingredients (makes 12 muffins):

“Nutella” ingredients:

• Hazelnuts (2 cups)

• Chocolate bar (½) – I used Eating Evolved Midnight Coconut bar for no added sugars

• Coconut oil (1 tablespoon)

Wet ingredients:

• Banana (1 ½) – browned and ripe

• Ground flaxseed (2 tablespoons)

• Almond milk (¾ cup)

• Coconut oil (¼ cup) - melted

• Maple syrup (¼ cup)

• Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

Dry Ingredients:

• Almond flour (1 ½ cups)

• Coconut flour (1/3 cup)

• Baking soda (1 teaspoon)

• Baking powder (1 teaspoon)

• Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)

Special Equipment: muffin tray

Directions:

1. Make the healthified “Nutella”:

   1. Roast the hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet at 425 for 10 minutes

   2. Melt the ½ chocolate bar with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

   3. Once both are cool, add the hazelnuts and the melted chocolate to a food processer and blend until smooth

2. Make the 2 flax eggs: combine 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water and allow to sit for ~5-10 minutes

3. Combine the 2 flax eggs with all of the wet ingredients in a bowl and add in 1 cup of the chocolate/hazelnut mixture

4. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl

5. Combine the bowl of dry and wet ingredients and fold together

6. Pour the mixture in to the muffin tray and bake at 375 for ~25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and the center is cooked through

7. Enjoy warm with additional hazelnut/chocolate mixture on top or store in the fridge or freezer in an air tight container!

Allergen Information:

• Gluten Free

• Grain Free

• Dairy Free

• Egg Free

• Vegan

• Refined Sugar Free