Triple Chocolate Beet and Sweet Potato Muffins

A strange combination? Perhaps. Similar to red velvet cake, especially in terms of the color, but MUCH more chocolatey! The triple chocolate refers to melted unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, AND chocolate chips. Moist, tender, and fairly dense with yummy goodness, these muffins are a MUST!

I am still picking beets out of my garden, with plenty left to pull. I've roasted some, and made some borscht, so I decided to go a different route with this batch of beets. Although I no longer eat breakfast, these muffins will make an awesome evening treat with a hot cup of chai or green tea.

As you know, root vegetables like beets, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes all contain lots of natural sugars and starches. I recently purchased a bag of purple sweet potatoes at Trader Joe's which hold their stunning color even after cooking. I decided to add these to my chocolate beet cake for more starch. I tried to cut back on the amount of both flour and sugar in the recipe, amping up the nutrition and moisture with more root veggies. After baking one test muffin with only one cup of flour in the batter, I decided to add another 1/2 cup of flour because the level of moisture seemed a bit high. I added chia seeds to help absorb some of this moisture, as well as cocoa powder, for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.

You can bake this as a sheet cake, in a 9x13 pan for 35-40 minutes, if you choose. The texture will be somewhat similar to brownies.

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (or 70 percent, if you prefer more sweetness)
4 oz. coconut oil
2 oz. grassfed butter (or olive oil)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
4 small-medium beets, boiled, peeled, and pureed
4 small sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, and mashed
1 and 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3 TB cocoa powder
1 TB chia seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 12-count muffin tin or use liners.

Melt chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn! Stir in oil and butter. Add sugar. Then add eggs, one and a time, and beat well. Add pureed veggies. Stir to blend. Then add all dry ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Add chocolate chips last and stir to combine.

Dollop batter into muffin tins, filling almost to the top. Bake 20 minutes or until the tops are firm. Let cool in tins before removing. Makes about one dozen muffins. Serve with cream cheese, peanut butter, or your favorite topping. Enjoy!