Little known fact: when I was in college, I kept a little box of ingredients + equipment to make butterscotch oatmeal raisin cookies on a moment’s notice. The butter, the chips, the flour, the parchment paper – everything. There were many nights when we’d come home late, or weekends when I needed a bit of comfort that I would empty the box and get to work in our community dorm kitchen.
It was the way I made myself at home.
Many things haven’t changed. Pulling out the pans, quietly measuring flour, creaming butter, scooping, and stirring are all still ways that I ground and calm myself. Putting something in the oven and passing the time while the house fills with magical smells is the way I bring my space – internal and external – alive again.
This week, I finally finished up a several-month push of big projects and landed at home with some time to really land. And the first thing I did was bake these Chocolate Molten Muffins.
I had a client ask me this week why there wasn’t a recipe for quiche in the recipe library. Turns out there wasn’t a recipe for chocolate muffins in there until now either…but not for any reason besides: I just hadn’t made one and written up a recipe.
It wasn’t because quiche “isn’t Ayurvedic,” or it’s something I don’t recommend.
The “myth” of eating Ayurvedically is that there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. But if you’re learning anything about this timeless wisdom, you’re coming to realize that embracing and practicing Ayurveda has EVERYTHING to do with recognizing that everything can be beneficial, and harmful, depending on how it’s used.
As long as we’re eating in a way that supports our digestion and daily energy needs, then pretty much everything can fit into our Ayurvedic diet, my friends. Even quiche. Even chocolate muffins.
I’ve been watching numerous recipes for “gut-healthy muffins” circulate around the internet. I don’t know about you but the sound of a recipe like this just makes me…not want to make it. In fact, it kinda makes me want to cringe because “what does that even mean?” If by “gut-healthy” you mean that you added a bunch of collagen, or probiotics, or some other supplement in man-made form to a completely lovely blueberry muffin recipe, you can keep your gross recipe. Quick reminder that collagen is something we get from eating meat, and sea vegetables, and something that our bodies produce naturally WHEN we have healthy digestion and assimilation. It’s something we don’t need to supplement.
And, a quick reminder that when we talk about “gut-healthy,” what we really mean (from an Ayurvedic perspective) is easy to digest. The gut doesn’t need anything man-made to be healthy – it just needs nourishment that it can break down and assimilate, it needs fuel that the microbiome can process in the form of prebiotics (which comes from fruits, vegetables, and other insoluble fiber sources) Two things that don’t fit into this catagory are foods that are laden unnecessarily with sugar and fat (hard to digest,) foods that are overstuffed with protein and incompatible ingredient combinations (ie: eggs and collagen and protein.)
What I’m trying to say is that by adding collagen, supplements, and protein to your muffin to make it “gut healthy,” you’re probably actually rendering it too hard for your digestive system to process it, and I’ll see you with microbiome degradation in my private practice. Ahem.
This recipe isn’t trying to be gut-healthy. There’s nothing homey and comforting and soul-serving about a “gut healthy muffin.” But, as it turns out, these muffins ARE good for your gut. Made with whole grains, almond flour, unrefined maple syrup, applesauce, and a chocolate that utilizes unrefined coconut sugar, they’re just the right amount of decadent while still nourishing your body and soul to the max.
Have been on my “to bake” list since the 2024 Summer Olympics, where I heard a rumor that they were serving decadent chocolate muffins with a molten center in the athlete village. And of course, I had to make my own. At last, here they are.
Rather than having molten centers, these tender muffins are straight up like eating a molten chocolate cake in a muffin wrapper…only easier to manage (see the image of Leo eating one with his whole face.) All of the ingredients are things you’ll find in your well-stocked pantry, with a couple of special call-outs. I used the apple-pear butter I shared with Back to Forward members instead of applesauce here, and it was the bomb. I also highly recommend using Guittard’s Santé 72% Chocolate Chips, which are vegan, gluten-free, and made with low-glycemic coconut sugar instead of refined sugar. In our house, this means that I’m completely comfortable feeding Leo a muffin as an afternoon snack before his nap with no sugar rush, and that chocolate muffins can be on the breakfast menu too (if you’re so inclined!)
I hope that this recipe is your coming home, your reminder that making truly good food is GOOD FOR YOU, no matter what you’re making or baking!
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