Chocolate Beet Muffins Prove Chocolate Is The Best Vegetable
Are we hiding a vegetable in a muffin? Sure are. Is it a logical fit—a naturally sweet root that removes the need for an additional sweetener—and looks kind of goth-y? You betcha. Even better, the halving of flour and use of cottage cheese means these little guys are more like a lava cake than a dense muffin: you’ll polish off three of these before you even realize your kiddo is still waiting for you to give him or her one. It’s okay to share…a few.
- 1 loose Beet
- 1 large Egg
- ¼ cup Cottage Cheese
- Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 3 TBSP Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- Chocolate chips (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 375. Cut off the top and bottom of the beet, rub with oil, and cover in aluminum foil
- When oven reaches temperature, place foil-wrapped beet on middle rack and roast for 1 hour. Remove beet and allow to cool.
- While the beet cools, turn your oven to 350 and coat a mini-muffin tray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, pour in the flour, coca powder, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt; mix until blended.
- Dice beet into four or so pieces and place in blender or food processor; blend or chop until soft. (Add a little water if having difficulty breaking down the vegetable into smaller parts.) Add in egg, cottage cheese, a glug of olive oil (or whatever oil you got), and a pour of vanilla extract; mix again until blended.
- Pour beet mixture into the bowl with flour mixture and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into the muffin wells, leaving a little room at the top of each. If using, place a few chocolate chips into each well.
- Bake for 12 minutes if using a mini-muffin tray, or 15 minutes if using a regular sized tray. You can check for doneness by sticking a knife into the center of one: if comes out clean, the insides are cooked.
- Remove muffins from tin and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
If you cook these in a mini-muffin tray, you can just hand 'em off ; but they’re moist enough that even regular sized muffins will only need to a cut or two for your child to manage on his or her own.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
