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

  1. 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.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, ground hazelnuts, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Combine well.
  3. Next, whisk together wet ingredients like buttermilk, oil, egg whites and chocolate spread together until the mixture turns smooth.
  4. Then, pour this over the dry ingredients and carefully mix them together. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine wet to dry ingredients.
  5. The mixture can be a little lumpy. It doesn’t have to be evenly mixed together.
  6. 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.
  7. Distribute what’s left of the mixture into the paper cases. Always finish with chocolate topping at the top.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.