If you can’t tell by now, I go crazy over nuts. In fact, I would like to declare the nuts are absolutely wonderful. I buy those trail mixes sometimes and use it to snack on while I read or watch a movie. They’re pretty healthy compared to popcorn with melted butter. They’re also pretty good substitutes for junk food too.
But what really gets me going is when I find fresh nuts on the store. I buy them by the kilograms rather than by the bag. And I don’t want them roasted too. I buy the fresh ones – the kind that would make a very good trail mix if I wanted to make one myself. Basically, my favorites are pecan, hazelnuts, macadamia, almonds and walnuts. As I’m sure you know, when they’re roasting in the oven, they give off such a nutty aroma.
This time, I bought home too many hazelnuts by choice. I was going to experiment on making muffins with this as the main recipe. I’ve decided to make it a chocolate one. I do know that chocolates and nuts work well together on any baked goods. You know me, I usually hold off on the baked desserts until there are special occasions. I am making this recipe my exemption to the rule. That’s because they’re made of nuts! I made the rules so I could bend them once in a while in the name of good food.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
- 3/4 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 egg whites
- 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
- 2 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread, extra
Description
- Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Take your 12-cup muffin pan and line them with paper cup cases. Set aside for now.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, ground hazelnuts, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Combine well.
- Next, whisk together wet ingredients like buttermilk, oil, egg whites and chocolate spread together until the mixture turns smooth.
- Then, pour this over the dry ingredients and carefully mix them together. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine wet to dry ingredients.
- The mixture can be a little lumpy. It doesn’t have to be evenly mixed together.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the base of the paper case. Next, top each one with half a teaspoon of extra chocolate spread.
- Distribute what’s left of the mixture into the paper cases. Always finish with chocolate topping at the top.
- Take this into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. You can insert a toothpick in the middle of each muffin to see if it runs through clean.
- When done, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Best served warm and with milk.
