Almond meal muffins with peanut butter through the batter and dark chocolate folded in. Gluten free, about twenty minutes in the oven, and they freeze well.
Eleven ingredients, two bowls.
Key points
- Gluten free. Almond meal, no wheat flour.
- Twenty minutes. In the oven at 180C.
- Two bowls. Wet and dry, then combine.
- Use smooth peanut butter. Crunchy changes the texture.
- Freeze well. Up to three months.
What you'll need
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2 scoops Noway Protein, unflavoured
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, smooth
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g choc chips or dark chocolate, chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C and line or grease a muffin tin.
- In a large bowl combine the almond meal, coconut sugar, protein powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and almond milk together, then add the vanilla and peanut butter and combine until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well. Add the chocolate and stir through.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of mixture into each muffin hole.
- Bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Optional: drizzle with extra peanut butter.
Why are almond meal muffins denser than normal ones?
Because almond meal has no gluten, and gluten is what gives a wheat muffin its open, springy crumb.
Almond meal is also high in fat and does not absorb liquid the way flour does, so the batter behaves differently. The result is a denser, moister muffin. That is normal, not a fault, and it is why these are more satisfying than their size suggests.
If you want them lighter, separate the eggs, whip the whites to soft peaks and fold them in at the end. It is more effort and it does work.
Why did mine come out dry?
Three usual causes, in order:
- Overbaked. Almond meal browns before the centre is done, so colour is a poor guide. Test with a skewer at 15 minutes; a few moist crumbs is right.
- A dry, separated peanut butter. The natural kind that stiffens at the bottom of the jar. Stir it thoroughly, or add an extra tablespoon of almond milk.
- Too much protein powder. Scoop sizes vary a lot between brands. If yours is a large scoop, weigh it instead, around 25 to 30 g each.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter?
You can, and it changes the muffin more than you would expect.
Smooth peanut butter emulsifies into the wet mix and distributes fat evenly through the batter. Crunchy leaves pieces that create pockets, so the crumb is less even and slightly drier around them. Some people prefer the texture.
If you use crunchy, add a tablespoon of almond milk to compensate.
Can I make them without eggs?
Yes, though they are doing real structural work here, since there is no gluten to hold things together.
Two flax eggs will work: two tablespoons of ground flaxseed with six tablespoons of water, left five minutes to thicken. Expect a denser, more fragile muffin. Let them cool completely in the tin before removing them, or they will break.
Swap the coconut sugar for maple syrup and check the chocolate, and the whole recipe becomes vegan.
Can I use a different protein powder?
Yes, with adjustments.
- Collagen protein, as written, is the easiest. It does not tighten when baked.
- Whey dries faster. Bake two or three minutes less and pull them slightly early.
- Plant protein absorbs considerably more liquid. Add two to three tablespoons of almond milk.
Worth knowing: collagen is not a complete protein. It is short on several essential amino acids, so these muffins are a snack with protein in them rather than a protein source. The protein range has the alternatives if you want to compare.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Halve the coconut sugar and the muffins still work. The peanut butter, chocolate and cinnamon carry plenty of flavour on their own.
Removing it entirely makes them noticeably flat, because sugar contributes moisture and browning as well as sweetness. If you want to go further, replace half with mashed banana rather than a granulated sweetener.
How long do they keep?
- Airtight container. Three days at room temperature.
- Fridge. Up to five days, though they firm up. Ten seconds in the microwave brings them back.
- Freezer. Up to three months. Freeze individually wrapped and take one out the night before.
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