whipped coconut milk chocolate chip muffins.

this is me pondering what the actual difference is between a muffin and a cupcake….

these look like a cupcake…they smell like a cupcake…they are made similarly to a cupcake….yet they are a muffin….

i think muffins are just more dense than cupcakes. cake should be light and airy.

and when you call something a “muffin,” it becomes an acceptable breakfast food. 😈 although this batch was more of an afternoon snack for pete & me when they were still with us.

not sure why i took 8 zillion photos of the same thing, but muffins are just cute, ya know!?

so i whip whip whipped up that thiccc part of (cold) canned coconut milk and made a thiccc muffin batter. that yielded a super moist and dense, yet fluffy, muffy. yum!

i used a wee bit of almond flour in addition to the all-purpose just for some varying textures and really enjoyed that. the other tweak worth mentioning is that i used 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp almond extract. i personally love almond extract in things like sugar cookies, but it is very overpowering. you could probably just use a tiny drop of almond extract in this recipe and still taste it. just beware of that, or use all vanilla if you prefer.

this is one of those times when i am so sad these muffins are long gone. i want one baddddlyyyy.

and they were so good kept in the fridge! i normally leave all baked goods at room temperature, but these were like cool little coconutty, chocolatey treats. and stayed super m o i s t. 😬

when pete tried one of these muffins, he said, “these are the best thing you’ve ever made.”

…i’m not sure about all thaaaat, but they were quite delicious. last night i made steak & potato burritos, and he said, “i’d buy this for $100.” yes he exaggerates, but he does not lie regarding food criticism, no no. he will be the first to tell me something’s too salty or weird. so i will take both of those compliments, thankyou.

make these muffins for a breakfast/snack/dessert and live it up.

i’ll have to try fresh blueberries in this whipped coconut milk version sometime when i’m in the blueb mood. that sounds gooooood, too.

Whipped Coconut Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

Bake Time: 23 minutes // Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup almond flour *

• 1/3 cup white sugar

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled

• 1 large egg

• 1 cup of cold canned coconut milk (full-fat preferred - the thickened part), whipped with a hand mixer

• 1/3 cup of the coconut milk liquid from the can

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, or 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract + 1/4 tsp. almond extract

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions-

Chill the canned coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, scoop 1 cup of the cold, thickened coconut milk from the can with 1/3 cup of the coconut milk liquid. Whip it up with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth.

Add the melted coconut oil, egg, and flavor extracts to the whipped coconut milk bowl, stirring between additions.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. The mixture will be quite thick.

Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared liners, about 2/3 full. Place the muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.

These muffins stayed very moist and delicious at room temperature, but were also good kept cold in the fridge.

*You can omit the almond flour and use 2 cups of all-purpose flour if you prefer.

Enjoy!

qp

party guacamole.

my favorite thing.

i had posted a super lame-o, vague recipe for my signature guacamole several years ago, but i realized it was not very helpful at at all!

so even though i don’t usually measure the ingredients when i make guacamole, i got out all the measuring tools this time and wrote it all down - for the sake of consistency and for the sake of the folks whom are strict recipe followers. 😉

these avocados were seriously the creamiest and most perfect ones of my life. i do not take primo avo texture or ripeness perfection for granted! bless the avo gods for this most excellent batch.

i say that when you mince your red onion and jalapeño for this purpose or for fresh salsas - if you think you’re done chopping, chop it up again. and then one more time. you just want these components to be like flavor crystals within the creamy guacamole nebula, not distinct chunks to chomp into.

i do like to leave some chunkier bits of avocado left behind, however. more texture, please!

i used to add a scoop of fresh salsa to my guacamole. sometimes i will if it seems like it needs a flavor boost. but the goal is to keep it avo pure. i know cumin is a key ingredient in traditional guacamole, but i don’t really enjoy that flavor. add some to yours if you want!

i’ve made this guac zillions of times for zillions of parties or bbqs and it is always a hit. i know its a pretty straightforward recipe with no surprises, but this is just how i always do it, and the people of my life have spoken. they want to eat it on all the things - and i’ve seen it first hand…. nacho cheese doritos, cheetos, fritos, burgers, sliders, hot dogs, tacos, with breakfast, with vegetables, with cheese, with the strangest of crackers or chips…..

it is a surefire crowd-pleaser.

Quinn’s Party Guacamole

Serves 6-10

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 extra large ripe avocados

• 1 3/4 - 2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 cup finely minced red onion

• 2 medium jalapeños, seeded and finely minced

• 2 large limes (juiced + some pulp)

• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish

• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Instructions-

Wash and dry all fresh ingredients. On a large cutting board, halve the avocados and score the flesh carefully with a knife. Use a spoon to scoop out all the avocado from the peel into a large bowl. Pour the juice of 1 lime over the avocado with a good pinch of salt and mash well with a fork (or even a potato masher if you’re making a large batch of guacamole).

Super finely mince the red onion and jalapeño. Add them to the large bowl and mash everything together well. Add the salt and pepper and fold in with a spatula. Add the juice of the other lime as well. Continue to mash the avocado mixture until it becomes quite smooth, leaving some chunkier bits as you desire.

Chop the cilantro. Gently fold the cilantro into the guacamole. Add larger sprigs on top if you wish.

Add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste!

Serve immediately. Store in the fridge in a sealed container with extra lime juice squeezed on top if you’ll be serving it later. Be sure to give it a good stir if any browning occurs on the top before serving. Enjoy within 1-2 days.

qp