Paleo Chocolate Chip and Fig Sunbutter Muffins

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Last week, after climbing, we sat in the car debating where to eat, when this place came up on Yelp: mmm...Coffee Paleo Bistro. Decision made! It's rare enough to find a paleo-friendly restaurant, let alone something with a strictly paleo menu.

Mmm...Coffee Paleo Bistro is a small cafe that serves only paleo goodies. It's disguised as a coffee shop, but dishes up grain-free everything, from muffins to brownies and granola. My eyes grew three sizes when I saw the muffins in their pastry case. Those are paleo too?! I asked, already knowing the answer. They were tall, golden muffins that overflowed from their muffins cups the way muffins do in any coffee shop. The owner of the bistro confirmed: paleo. 

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After splitting a muffin for dessert, I knew that it was game time: go home and recreate these muffins. Puffy and oversized. Soft, sturdy, and a bit nutty. I began searching for recipes for sunflower seed butter muffins as soon as I had a decent internet connection. I knew that mmm...Coffee's version used flax, but I prefer to bake with eggs and figured I'd give it a shot. Want a close up of what had me so excited? The texture of these muffins is just so... muffin-y, in a way that most paleo muffs fall short. See:

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Since these muffins are made of primarily sunflower butter, they're high in protein--sunflower seeds are higher in protein than most other common nuts and seeds. Sunflower butter has an addicting peanut butter-like taste to it, so it pairs well with fruit flavors (like figs!) and chocolate. I've been day dreaming about a PB&J version of these muffins, too! 

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Paleo Chocolate Chip and Fig Sunbutter Muffins

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan   |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Yields: 6   |    Total Time: 30 Minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup sunflower seed butter AKA "sunbutter" (NOTE: if you use homemade sunflower seed butter, your muffins may turn a slight green color as they cool. This is due to a naturally occurring and edible nutrient in plants called chlorogenic acid.
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (skip this if you are using salted sunbutter)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped dried figs (roughly 7 figs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the sunbutter, bananas, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Puree until smooth.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and figs until evenly distributed. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners until they are about 3/4 of the way full.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Paleo Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

If you haven't noticed, I'm a complete chocoholic. Lots of people say they're chocoholics, but what they mean is that they really like chocolate and get a hankering for chocolate cake every now and then. They don't know what it means to have a Pinterest board dedicated to logging the types of chocolate you've tried.

Last night over dinner I admitted to having visited two chocolate museums and a chocolate factory. I didn't realize that was such a shocking figure--doesn't everyone re-organize their schedule once learning that they're within an hours drive of a chocolate museum? And who hasn’t read four books about the history of chocolate?

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I also chose not to disclose these figures with my classmates last semester, when I got to do a case study on Chocolates El Rey, a premium brand of chocolate out of Venezuela. When I was able to list the retail prices of several El Rey competitors off the top of my head during my class presentation, I admitted to being a chocoholic. My classmates chuckled, but only because they didn't realize how true it actually was. 

If you understand how a real chocoholic's mind works, you probably understand why I had to make these Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti almost immediately after making these Paleo Gingerbread Biscotti. It goes something like this: These are crazy good. Just one thing... I'll fill the batter with cocoa and stuff them with chocolate chips! And then I'll really be in love. Sure enough, taking my biscotti recipe and converting it into a chocolate lover's dream really was a genius move. 

Note: These biscotti are not as hard as a traditional biscotti. They retain a little bit more softness, due to the almond flour and the chocolate chunks. I prefer it that way, they still dip into tea and coffee beautifully, but don’t hurt your teeth!

Paleo Double Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti

Published January 12, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 12   |    Active Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/3 cup chocolate chunks or chips, plus 2 tablespoons for drizzle on top

1/3 cup shelled unsalted pistachios

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda and cocoa.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and honey. Fold the wet mixture into the dry. You may need to use a spatula to really work the dough together (or your hands!). Fold in the chocolate chips and pistachios.
3. Shape the dough into a rectangle (about 1 inch tall, 3 inches wide, and 10 inches long) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a sil-pat. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the rectangle into strips, 1/2 to 1-inch thick, forming the biscotti. Lay each strip back on the cookie sheet cut side up. Reduce oven to 300°F and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until the cookies begin to turn crisp.
5. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely.
6. Optional: Melt remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate chips, and drizzle over each cookie for decoration.

Citrus, Spice and Wine Poached Pears (Paleo & Vegan)

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Let's talk about pears. Sweet, juicy pears. They're a winter-time gift when other fruits are sparse. The bosc pear season is long, spanning most of the coldest days of the year. In the olden days, pears and citrus fruits were literally gifts, stuffed into stockings. Today, after a week (or more) of holiday dinners, desserts, and cookies, these pears are a light dessert for ringing in the new year. 

The best part about this dessert (other than eating it, of course), is filling the house with the aroma of cloves steeped in honey and fruit (and, ok--you caught me, drinking the fruit and spice flavored wine that results... by the mug full). (While we're being honest... that fruity mulled wine, still steaming is really the cocktail I'll be craving on New Year's Eve!).

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This recipe is simple and elegant all at once: a few ingredients in a pot, a bit of time, and a glimmering pear in sweet fragranced sauce. It's also totally New Year's Resolution friendly, but since it's still 2014, you can serve these babies warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of coconut cream! Trust me. Go for it. You can skip the toppings next year. 

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Citrus, Spice and Wine Poached Pears

4 bosc pears 

3 cups fruity white wine

1 cup water

2 tablespoons honey

10 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Peel the skin from the pears. If you wish, remove the pit of the pear by cutting in from the bottom with a pear knife and removing the core. 

2. Bring the remaining ingredients to a simmer in a large pot. Arrange the pears in a single layer in the simmering wine mixture. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until pears are tender (poke it with a fork to test it). 

3. Remove the pears from the pot and set aside. Bring the wine mixture to a boil. Allow the wine mixture to reduce for about 20-30 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and the liquid begins to thicken (you may need more or less time depending on the size of your pot--check on it occasionally). Once the liquid has thickened, turn off the heat and allow it to come to room temperature. 

4. Serve the pears at room temperature or warm on a small rimmed plates or in bowls, drizzled with the wine sauce. Add chocolate syrup, paleo ice cream, or coconut cream.