I’m more a muffin than a cookie girl. Maybe because I can more easily justify eating muffins for breakfast…unless they’re my Apple and Raisin Oaty Breakfast Cookies that is- a recipe created especially for the first meal of the day! Breakfast aside, I still usually prefer muffins for some reason and it had been far too long since I’d made any.
A lovely friend who came to stay recently brought me a jar of this hazelnut butter as a “thank you for having me” gift. She clearly knows that food presents go down well around these parts! As much as I’ve been enjoying it slathered on sprouted grain toast with a spot of apricot jam, I felt it deserved to be used for something a little more special.
Muffins were the answer! Hazelnut Butter-Chocolate Chip Muffins! I love using nut butter in baking for the rich flavour and moisture it gives, which also means you can cut back or eliminate added oils. I had my fingers crossed when I shut the oven door as admittedly I’d cobbled this recipe together fairly quickly, but they turned out so tender with a lovely crumb.
Hazelnut butter is fairly widely available these days, but if you can’t find it it’s easy to make at home! Here is a simple how-to.
I couldn’t resist adding chocolate chips as everyone knows that chocolate and hazelnuts is a classic combination, but you could do chopped apricots or crystallized ginger and hazelnuts, or whatever sounds good to you.
This recipe makes only 6 muffins so you’ll probably want to double it!
Ingredients Instructions Notes * To make these gluten-free: Replace the spelt flour with 1/2 cup each of oat flour and 1/2 cup blanched almond flour and 2 Tbsp tapioca starch. Increase flax to 1 Tbsp and baking powder to 2 tsp. Omit oil.
I’m submitting this recipe at the weekly link-up, Wellness Weekends.
Muffins or cookies?
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