Double Chocolate and Avocado Muffins

After a mexican filled weekend, I ended up with a few avocados leftover and really wanted to use them up but with a different kind of recipe. I had recently seen a recipe for avocado brownies but I didn't want something so rich and decided that the best option was a muffin...no one can resist a good muffin! I took to the kitchen, with son in toe and went into recipe developing mode and came up with this recipe...and all I can say is wow :)) These muffins have just the right amount of chocolate, they are unbelievably moist and so flavoursome, but don't worry you won't be able to taste the avocado but at least you know that you are consuming something a little healthy in a chocolate muffin...who would have thought haha...and perfect for kids, great way of getting some goodness into them without their knowing wahaaaaaa :))

Double Chocolate and Avocado Muffins

270g self raising flour

30g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

100g soft brown sugar

50g caster sugar

2 eggs 

125ml buttermilk

75ml vegetable oil

2 ripe avocados

100g Chocolate chips

Pre heat the oven to 180/170c fan and pop muffin cases into a muffin tray

In a bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well

In a jug add the buttermilk, oil and eggs and whisk until frothy

Cut the avocado and scoop out the inside into a bowl and mash up 

Add the buttermilk mixture, the mashed up avocado and the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and fold in gently (not more than 10 times) 

Spoon into the prepared muffin cases, almost to the top (I managed to get 11) and pop into the pre heated oven for around 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

And enjoy :)

Mini Meatball Pizza Muffin Cups

I love it when new ideas come to me, especially when the work haha and this really was a winner! I had been thinking about fun foods for kids and parties and taking something oridinary and putting a little spin on it and I came up with this...at first I wasn't sure whether it would work and crazily I attempted it for the first time on the morning of the Easter party, but thankfully it worked and they went down a storm, everyone loved them and were raving about them...so here's the recipe

Mini Meatball Pizza Muffin Cups

Pizza dough (please refer to my pizza dough recipe)

Meatballs
500g beef mince
35g pancetta or bacon (I used smoked bacon)
2 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Tomato sauce
1 Onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano
Plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste

Make up the pizza dough and leave to rise.

Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a food processor and then roll into small balls and place on a plate. Place in a fridge for about half an hour if you can but don't worry if you can't.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until browned all over and set aside

In the same pan heat some more oil and cook the onion until soft and golden.
Add the garlic, oregano and rosemary and fry for a minute more.
Add the tinned plum tomatoes and stir through and add the tomato purée and stir through with some salt and pepper.
Bring to the simmer, add the meatballs and simmer for around 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too dry, add some water as you will need a little sauce to fill the pizza muffin cups.

Pre heat the oven to 200/180c fan

Once the dough has risen and has about doubled in size, knock back and divide into 10 balls

Oil a deep muffin tin and place the balls into each hole

Spread the dough into the cup and spread up the sides. Spoon a few of the mini meatballs and sauce into the middle and continue with all the dough balls and meatballs

Place into the pre heated oven for about 15-20 minutes

Remove from the muffin tin carefully (if the tin was oiled well they should come out quite easily) and enjoy :)))))