Leftover farmer’s market beets were pureed and used as the magic ingredient in these decadent chocolate muffins.


The million dollar question on everyones mind… can you taste the beets?

Yes. Yes, you can taste the beets.

So, how can they possibly taste good?

Oddly, the beet flavor is almost refreshing. I know, that sounds really strange. The beets just add a bit of earthy flavor to the muffin. It’s sort of like a background flavor, if you didn’t know there were beets in the muffin and you were given one of these eat, I imagine you would be asking what the mysterious flavor is all the while asking for seconds.

The muffins themselves are really soft, light and cake like. Perfect texture for a muffin. The chocolate chips add burst of sweetness, and the nuts (I didn’t add enough of them) add wonderful crunch. These muffins would be beautiful with the addition of white chocolate chunks and maybe some dried cranberries.

I have never used beets like this before, so I had to take a guess at how to puree them. I decided to microwave them for quick cooking (normally I roast them in the oven).

Select 2 medium sized beets, you want 1 cup worth of puree so give it your best guess.

Trim off the beet greens and give them a good scrubbing under water. Microwave for about 10 minutes (add or take a minute depending on size) in a microwave safe dish, covered, with a splash of water. Test for tenderness by pricking with a fork. Let cool.

Using a sharp knife, carefully slice off the skins on all sides. Chop into chunks and blend it up with a blender. I needed a little bit of water to help puree it.

I should probably remind everyone what we are gaining from adding beets to your morning muffin. Beets are rich in antioxidants, and are a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. Beets have anti-inflammatory benefits and are also believed to have anti-cancer benefits as well.

Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

Chocolate Beet Muffins

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Try adding white chocolate chunks and dried cranberries!

Serves: 16-18

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz bag of bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
• ¼ cup butter
• 1½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup beet puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup Chobani plain non-fat greek yogurt
• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

1. If you haven't already, prepare the beet puree. (see instructions in blog post)
2. Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners.
3. In a small saucepan, melt ⅔ cup of chocolate chips and butter over low heat. Stir occasionally, until melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pecans, and the rest of the chocolate chips.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, beet puree, vanilla extract, yogurt, and milk. Stir in the melted chocolate.
6. Finally, carefully stir the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until just combined. It should look very fluffy. Don't over mix them. A few streaks of flour is fine.
7. Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tins, fill the cups to the top. I got 16 muffins.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center and when pulled out should be clean. Or lightly press down on the top of a muffin and it should bounce back up.
9. Let them cook for at least 5 minutes before handling.

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