Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Muffins

Another tribute to my Italian heritage – from my kitchen to yours!

Think real Maraschino cherries is syrup. Visualize moist almond cake. Picture dark chocolate covered cherries. These muffins have it all!  I included instructions for adapting to Paleo, vegan, low-sugar and dairy-free diets.

And while you can omit the booze, I highly recommend it for a more authentic Italian flavor profile (see what I did there with the fancy sounding commentary?!)

Either way, these babies are packed full of good fats, protein, vitamins and minerals including: vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, biotin (vitamin B7), copper, magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), insoluble fiber, protein, amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids and phosphorus.

Ingredients

1 C almond flour
1 2/3 C gluten-free flour blend   substitute 1/3 C almond flour and 1 C coconut flour for paleo
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp guar gum    
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 sugar    use coconut, palm or date sugar for paleo
4 large organic eggs – beaten    use chia or flax-seed egg for vegan – 1 tbsp ground seed and 3 tbsp water combined for each egg and refrigerate for 20 minutes
1/2 C full-fat ricotta   use unsweetened applesauce for paleo
1 tbsp pure almond extract   omit for Paleo if you are being strict about alcohol
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
6 oz dried Bing cherries – preferably unsweetened
1/3 -1/2 C gluten-free white rum or vodka    omit for Paleo if you are being strict about alcohol
1/2 C dark brown sugar    reduce to 1/3 C if cherries are sweetened and use maple syrup or honey for paleo
2 tsp natural cherry extract – I like Bakto brand    omit for Paleo if you are being strict about alcohol
4 oz very dark chocolate 62%-70% – coarsely chopped    use cacao chips for Paleo and vegan
1/2 C slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Line a twelve-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray/grease
2. In a pan on the stove, cook cherries, brown sugar, rum and cherry extract until cherries plump up and liquid is reduced to a very thick, sticky syrup. Turn off heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
4. Add in the eggs, butter, almond milk, ricotta/yogurt/applesauce and almond extract, beating until the batter is thick and smooth.
5. Add in cherries with syrup and stir to combine.
6. Add chopped chocolate and stir to combine.
7. Spoon the batter evenly into the twelve muffin cups.
8. Top with slivered almonds. (You can also just throw some almonds on top after you take it out of the oven – this is what I did when I forgot to put them on before!)
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes or so until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean of batter.
   

Cook’s Note: These can also be made in mini tart pans, mini loaf pans or a larger loaf pan – just adjust cooking times accordingly and reduce heat to 350°. 

Enjoy!