Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Chocolate Mint Muffins

An Easy Gluten-Lactose-Egg Free Recipe


Before I started my anti-inflammatory diet - which is working so-so by the way - I loved cooking  & baking and I loved when people enjoyed what I had prepared.

Avant de commencer mon régime anti-inflammatoire - qui marche couci-couça - j'adorais cuisiner et pâtisser et j'adorais lorsque mes créations étaient appréciées.

 
The diet has so many restrictions that it makes baking a little challenging. I have decided not to remove sugar completely, but, as you'll see in the recipe, I down it to a minimum. I've gotten used to it.

Le régime comporte tellement de restrictions que cela rend les choses un peu difficiles. J'ai donc décidé de ne pas supprimer complètement le sucre, même si je le réduis au maximum, comme vous le verrez dans la recette. On s'habitue assez vite à manger moins sucré.

 
The first recipes I created were edible, but most of the time, I didn't dare share the results with my friends or share the recipes here.

Mes premières inventions de recettes étaient mangeables, mais la plupart du temps, n'étaient pas dignes d'être offertes en dégustation à des amis ou partagées sur le blog.

Now, I've gotten a lot better and my last invention - chocolate mint muffins - is really worth sharing. They are really tasty and moist - not all crumbly as often with gluten and egg free recipes. And there's nothing that makes me forget how tedious the diet is than my friends asking "Can I take one more?"

Mais je me suis bien améliorée et ma dernière création, des muffins chocolat-menthe, vaut le coup. Ils sont bons et bien moelleux - ils ne s'effritent pas comme la plupart des muffins sans gluten et sans œufs. Et rien de mieux pour oublier un régime contraignant que des amis qui me demandent : "Je peux en reprendre ?"


I'm sorry for the bad quality pictures - it was already dark when I took them out of the oven and I had to take pictures before they got all eaten. Don't judge the quality of the recipe by the quality of the photos!

Les photos ne sont pas terribles car il faisait déjà sombre quand j'ai sorti les muffins du four et il fallait bien prendre les photos avant qu'ils ne soient mangés. Mais ne jugez pas la recette à la qualité des photos !

Here's what you'll need for twelve muffins :
  • 1 cup whole rice flour,
  • 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour,
  • 1/4 cup chestnut flour,
  • 1/4 cup almond meal,
  • 1/4 cup potato starch,
  • 2 Tsp raw sugar,
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt,
  • pixie dust (1 tsp flax seeds, 1/2 tsp chia seeds, 1/4 tsp psyllium - ground together)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda,
  • 2 tsp baking powder,
  • 3.5 oz dark chocolate (I use a 88% cocoa chocolate so there's less sugar in it) melted,
  • 1 cup apple puree (mine was homemade with apples from the garden),
  • 1 Tsp apple cider vinegar,
  • 1/4 cup oil,
  • 4 drops of peppermint essential oil (don't put too much, it's strong!),
  • 3/4 cup of almond milk.
Les ingrédients pour douze muffins:
  • 1 tasse de farine,
  • 1/ 2 tasse de farine de sarrasin,
  • 1/4 tasse de farine de châtaigne,
  • 1/4 tasse de poudre d'amande,
  • 1/4 tasse de fécule de pomme de terre,
  • 2 cuil. à soupe de sucre rapadura,
  • 1 bonne pincée de sel,
  • de la poudre de fée (c'est-à-dire une cuil. à  café de graines de lin, 1/2 cuil. à café de graines de chia - moulues ensemble et 1/4 de cuil. à café de psyllium en poudre)
  • 1/2 cuil. à café de bicarbonate de soude,
  • 2 cuil. à café de levure (cela correspond à un sachet de ceux que j'achète),
  • 100 g de chocolat noir fondu au bain marie (j'utilise une tablette à 88% de cacao),
  • 1 tasse de compote de pommes maison,
  • 1 cuil. à soupe de vinaigre de cidre,
  • 1/4 tasse d'huile,
  • 4 gouttes d'huile essentielle de menthe (n'ayez pas la main lourde, c'est fort)
  • 3/4 tasses de lait d'amande.
Directions:
  • Don't get worried by the long list of ingredients. Once you've got them all, it's easy. 
  • I use flours that are available where I live, you can substitute them with those you find where you live as long as you mix different kind of flours.
  • Add the dry ingredients following the order above. Mix. 
  • Melt the chocolate in a water bath (you can use an other barbarian method that I'm ignoring), add to the batter.
  • Add all the other ingredients - be careful with the peppermint oil as you should not consume more than one drop a day... So if you add too much, you'll have to eat only ONE muffin a day. Mix.
  • Pour the batter in muffin cups lined with paper. Even the surface... Remember that withour egg, the batter won't spread and take a pretty shape in the oven... It comes out as it gets in, just baked!
  • Bake in the oven for about 16 to 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven (about 350°F - but can slightly change depending on your oven). 
La recette:
  • Ne paniquez pas à la vue de la liste des ingrédients. Ce sont des ingrédients de base d'une cuisine sans gluten (et si vous avez la chance de pouvoir manger du blé, je vous déconseille de vous embêter à suivre mes recettes - ou alors adaptez-les!). Une fois les ingrédients réunis, c'est facile.
  • Mélangez les ingrédients dans l'ordre de la liste. Touillez de temps en temps...
  • Vous pouvez ajoutez un peu plus de menthe, mais attention, on déconseille de dépasser la dose d'une goutte par jour, si vous en mettez trop, vous serez condamné à ne manger qu'un seul muffin... Défi?
  • Répartissez dans les moules à muffins protégés de caissettes. Egalisez la surface : n'oubliez pas que sans œufs et sans gluten, la pâte ne s'étale pas dans le four : les muffins ressortent tels que vous les avez mis, mais cuits !
  • Cuisez entre 16 et 20 minutes dans un four à 180°C (plus ou moins selon votre four).
I chose not to add any topping as it would have added more sugar and they are really tasty "au naturel"... But you can add the topping of your choice to add a little Christmas flair to them, because, really, chocolate and mint do say "Christmas is coming"! This, and getting the red teapot out!

Je n'ai fait aucun décor, qui aurait rajouté su sucre pas bon pour moi, mais libre à vous d'y ajoutez quelque chose qui fasse "Noël" car chocolat et menthe, pour mes origines anglaises, cela indique que Noël approche ! Ça... et sortir la théière rouge !


My recipes are here to inspire, feel free to tell me in the comments if you try it and change something in it !

Mes recettes ne sont là que pour inspirer : dites-moi dans les commentaires si vous vous lancez et si vous y apportez votre touche personnelle !

See you next time,

A la prochaine fois,


31 comments:

  1. These sound lovely and I think the photos are perfect!

    Jane x

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  2. Dear Magali,

    they look delicious, but the diet sounds complicated and a bit tedious. I have been reducing the amount of sugar in my baking over the last year, step by step. The children didn´t even notice! It is true, you get uesed to it. I replace sugar by grounded (right expression?)almonds, that works well.
    Have a nice day - 1st of december? Where has this year gone? And when? Never mind, I am going to get the red teapot out. Now!

    Warmly, Sarah

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  3. All of these ingredients replacing regular wheat flour are SO healthy and probably taste much better! Lovely recipe Magali, and I must try it!

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  4. Ca a l'air très bon, je ne fais quasiment jamais de pâtisserie mais j'admire ceux qui en font et regarde avec bonheur le mercredi M6 et son meilleur pâtissier. Je suis plutôt salé et cuisine beaucoup (tous les jours) parce qu'en plus j'achète très très très rarement du tout prêt à manger. Bisous ma Belle et caresses aux griffus. Babette

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  5. Le sucre Radapura, une merveille, je ne change plus maintenant que j'ai trouvé "LE" sucre qui sucre merveilleusement les desserts comme le reste
    j'ai découvert il y a peu le sucre de noix de coco, moins présent et plus doux, un délice aussi
    Je vais tester tes petits gâteaux, je te dirais ce que j'en pense
    Passe une belle semaine

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  6. Chocolate and mint are my two favorite combination, sounds delicious:). I have to say, it seems like sugar is in everything processed. Making food from scratch and using the best quality ingredients is the healthier choice and my nieces are going this route too. Kathleen in Az

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    Replies
    1. I bake everything at home in order to keep an eye on the sugar amount I eat as sugar is known to trigger inflammation. I've gotten used to it.

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  7. Sounds delicious. I wish the Internet could allow us to taste. Maybe in a couple of years that will be possible.

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  8. I recently picked up a book on paleo diets. I don't think I could ever do it completely, but it's interesting to read about how our diets here in America are really bad for our overall health. Sugar is something that causes so many ailments, eliminating it or at least cutting back can greatly improve our well being.

    I hope the diet you're on works better going forward. It's difficult to undue in a few weeks or even months the damage we've caused to our bodies over a lifetime, but patience and perseverance will pay off.

    xxx

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  9. I'm also trying to cut a lot of the bad stuff out of recipes so this looks just right. I'd love to give it a try.
    Amalia
    xo

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  10. Hi..first off i'm so glad to hear the new "diet"..i choice to call what i have to eat..just a change of food choices..and i've found some really great sugar subs too..i have a new one to try..monkfruit..and i found an online store to buy chestnut flour..which i seen in an earlier recipe you shared..i'll be sure to try these this weekend..they look delish even if the photos aren't as good as you'd hoped..
    Have a Great weekend.!!

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  11. The muffins sound very tasty! I love chocolate and mint together. I just love mint anything...peppermint ice cream is a seasonal favorite of mine. I buy one carton each Christmas. Your photos are great as well. Hope you are doing well.

    Blessings, Vicky

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  12. Hi Magali, I have to complement you on staying on your diet. I have Fibromyalgia and should be more strict with mine. The muffins look amazing I think that I can smell them from here! lol

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  13. Tu as bien du courage pour pâtisser malgré tes longues journées de cours + préparation + corrigés de copies... mais franchement cela vaut la peine. Ils ont l'air super bons tes muffins chocolat/menthe. Je n'aurai pas le courage de les faire. J'attends donc de les goûter un de ces prochains jours. Bises

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  14. These look very delicious and it is nice that they are also healthier! I am trying to avoid too much sugar, too. Thank you for the recipe. Hope you are well and have a lovely weekend. xx Karen

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    Replies
    1. I found out that if you use gradually less sugar in your recipes, your tastebuds get use to it very easily!

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  15. I'm so glad you are finding some yummy recipes. They look so good-of coarse anything with chocolate has got to be good. I am trying to cut sugar as well so will probably give these a try. Happy week to you!

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  16. Bonsoir Magali, merci pour ta visite. J'admire toutes ces recettes, mais ca me semble bien compliqué, n'étant pas une super cuisinière, je reste dans du facile.

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  17. These look yummy, Magali. I'm glad you're still able to enjoy a treat and the joy of baking them. Hugs.

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  18. Sounds delicious and healthy...but I"ll cheat and use may Gluten free four...

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  19. Thank you for sharing your recipe and thoughts.
    Always good to see and read about different recipe suggestions.

    All the best Jan

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  20. Chocolate and mint - a match made in heaven! Sounds wonderful, Magali! Glad you are able to create some baked goods that you can enjoy!

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  21. I should make these for my husband, he loves chocolate and mint together!! Thank you for the recipe Magali!

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  22. Your muffins look absolutely heavenly! Not sure if I can find chestnut flour here but I'll check around. A substitute?

    Maybe I have missed your inflammatory problems in a previous post. Just wondering as I have an auto immune problem with inflammation. I'm always interested in finding ways to keep it under control.

    Happy Holidays, Magali!

    Jan

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  23. They look scrumptious, Magali. Like everyone, I, too am trying to limit my sugar which is hard because of course, I have a major sweet tooth!

    Poppy

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  24. These look and sound yummy. I am a big carb/sugar eater and it is hard for me to let go of the sugar especially this time of year with all the wonderful baked goods around.
    Happy Holidays my friend.
    Kris

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  25. I might just need to give this recipe a try for Christmas.

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  26. I will take two dozen of them, please :)

    Have a Merry Christmas :)

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  27. il n'y a pas de saison pour un gâteau au chocolat... cette recette est extra ! je me suis permise de rajouter des amandes grillées broyées et des châtaignes (mais j'ai mis trop de châtaignes ce qui a alourdi la pâte) - une photo suivra - j'avais congelé des tranches du gâteau et les ai mises à décongeler au frigo ce matin - elles sont impeccables et... c'est l'heure du thé !! cordialement - monique59

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