These Double Chocolate & Cherry Muffins are rich, fudgy and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, bringing together antioxidant-rich cacao, extra virgin olive oil and a vibrant homemade cherry jam. Finished with our Mylk Chocolate Drops.

And, if you feel called, a piece of our Black Cherry Raspberry chocolate on top - They're a beautiful reminder that the most comforting treats can also be deeply nourishing.

Refined sugar free, dairy free / Makes 12

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins:

180g (¾ cup) milk (plant milk, if dairy free)
25g (¼ cup) cacao powder
2 eggs
170g (½ cup) pure maple syrup
150g (2/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil
115g (½ cup) plain yoghurt (Greek, or coconut if dairy free)
1 tsp vanilla extract
240g (2 cups) white spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup Loco love Mylk Chocolate Drops 

Cherry Jam:

500g (4 cups) frozen cherries
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup 

METHOD: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with patty pans. Set aside.
2. Heat milk until almost boiling then add to a mixing bowl with cacao/cocoa powder. Whisk until no lumps remain and then set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, yoghurt and vanilla to the cooled cacao mixture. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
4. Sift in flour and baking soda, and add salt. Gently whisk together until smooth, then add chocolate chips and fold through. Scoop batter into the patty pans, filling to the top of the tray. 
5. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just a few moist crumbs remain on a skewer when inserted into the middle of a muffin. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
6. Add cherry jam ingredients to a small frypan or pot. Cook over medium heat for around 20 minutes, mashing the cherries with a fork as they soften, and throughout the cooking process. The mixture should be thick and coat the back of a spoon when tested. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. 
7. Use a small knife to cut a cone-shaped hole into the top of each muffin, around 2cm in diameter. Pop out the cone of muffin. The hole left should be enough for 2-3 tsp jam, so make it bigger if needed. Spoon cherry jam into each hole, and place the removed cone of muffin on top as a lid.
8. You can leave muffins just like this, or if you want to decorate them we recommend topping each muffin with 1 tsp melted chocolate and a slice of a loco Love Black Cherry Raspberry bar. 

Notes: To substitute cacao powder for dutch processed cocoa, add 1 tsp vinegar to the recipe in step 3. 

Recipe by: @panaceas_pantry
panaceaspantryblog.com