Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins with Coconut Bacon

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins with Coconut Bacon

Life is short, eat chocolate. That's the saying, right? I feel like I could whole-heartedly adopt that mantra from here on out. Anything that gives me an excuse to eat more chocolate is a a good thing. I woke up two mornings ago and just needed these muffins. I was feeling a little foggy and couldn't seem to get going. This past week has held a lot of changes (updates soon!) and carried a ton of stress. I'm finally sleeping again at night but still waking up a little out of it. But, I may have found the cure. Somewhere between these rich, fudgy muffins and the crispy & salty coconut bacon on top, I found pure happiness. Seriously, I got LOST in eating these little guys for almost a half hour. The combo is unbeatable and reminds me (sans bananas) of the Elvis sandwich we had back when Phoney Baloney's was just a sandwich shop here in Southern CA. They may be my new favorite stress-relieving breakfast. Oh, and you know, one more reason to eat chocolate for breakfast.
Oh and one more thing- I'm happy to announce that our Cheezy Polenta Fries recipe is being featured over on Chocolate Covered Katie today. Thanks Katie- we think these muffins may be right up your alley, girl.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (we used the all purpose GF mix from Fork & Beans- with great results!)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 - 2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut bacon

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, xantham gum, & salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl or mixer, mix together milk, oil & sugar. Once combined, add sugar and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients one cupful at a time until completely mixed. Dough should be a little closer to cookie dough than cake batter in texture. Pour in chocolate chips and stir it all together. Spoon batter into lined or greased muffin tins and sprinkle each muffin with about a teaspoon of coconut bacon. Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If coconut bacon smells like its burning, watch it closely. We didn't have ANY bacon burn, but oven temps and hot spots vary, so be careful. (If your prefer your coconut bacon lightly cooked or are worried about it burning, wait until muffins are about halfway done before sprinkling with coconut bacon.)  Once finished, remove from oven and move muffins to a cooling rack. Makes 12 large, full muffins or 24 smaller, half-filled ones (which is the route we took. I have no will power or portion control on my own...) Muffins keep well in the fridge or on a cool counter for up to a week. Can freeze indefinitely, but coconut bacon may get soggy when defrosting. If you plan on freezing 'em, I recommend adding the bacon as needed later. Enjoy!

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