Cherry-Almond Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chunks
Tender, grain-free almond flour muffins packed with sweet summer cherries and chunks of dark chocolate, scented with almond and vanilla, and topped with toasted sliced almonds. A summer classic.
Yield: 9 muffins · Active: 20 min · Total: 45 min · Best in North America in early to mid summer, when sweet cherries are in season · Best eaten: morning or midday
Ingredients
2½ cups blanched almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
2 pasture-raised eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup raw honey (or maple syrup)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or melted grass-fed butter)
3 tbsp full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp pure almond extract
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
Optional: zest of ½ lemon
¾ cup sweet cherries, pitted, halved, and patted dry
⅓ cup dark chocolate (70% or darker), roughly chopped
2 tbsp sliced almonds, for the tops
Method
Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F, and line a muffin tin with 9 unbleached paper liners.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, honey, olive oil, coconut milk, vanilla, almond extract, vinegar, and lemon zest (if using), and whisk until smooth.
Fold in the cherries and chocolate, gently, saving a few cherry halves for the tops.
Fill and top. Fill the liners about three-quarters full, press a cherry half into each top, and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Bake 22–25 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.
Cool completely in the tin before removing them; they firm up as they cool.
Out of season? Use frozen sweet cherries, thawed, drained, and patted very dry, or dried tart cherries (no added sugar).
Storage
Airtight at room temperature up to 2 days, refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
A note on honey: Baked honey is no longer raw. Honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Sweet cherries — anthocyanins (the deep red pigments behind their color), vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
Dark chocolate — flavanols, magnesium, iron, and theobromine.
Almond flour and sliced almonds — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats.
Pasture-raised eggs — complete protein, choline, and vitamins A, D, E, and K2.
Raw apple cider vinegar — its acidity reacts with the baking soda, for a lighter, more tender rise.
For your cycle: The dark chocolate's magnesium and the cherries' antioxidants make these a lovely treat in the luteal phase, when chocolate cravings often peak.
Sourcing
Cherries — organic sweet cherries (like Bing or Rainier), from a farmers' market in early summer
Almond flour and sliced almonds — organic; almonds unpasteurized, like Terrasoul's
Dark chocolate — organic, 70% or darker, sweetened with coconut sugar or minimally sweetened, ideally tested for heavy metals, like Hu
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised
Raw honey and maple syrup — organic, local, unfiltered raw honey; organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Coconut milk — organic and full-fat, with no guar gum
Vanilla and almond extracts — organic and pure, with no artificial flavors
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Lemons (optional) — organic
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass (a mild, fruity oil is best for baking)
Baking soda — aluminum-free
Muffin liners — unbleached parchment
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall