Gluten-free, vegan, buckwheat carrot muffins

I spent a glorious weekend in San Luis Obispo, CA with some dear friends and got back yesterday feeling like a child who had to leave Disney early. I wanted to stay and explore the farmers markets more, discover more hidden restaurants with lovely, knowledgeable servers and chefs who take care and creativity to new heights. These are just a few of the wonderful memories I have of this weekend, along with my dear friend who will now be the pastry chef at the Dolphin Bay Resort. (I know, pastry chef and me, go figure. She's a fabulous chef and I've learned so much from her about cooking over the years.)

Spring Salad at Luna Red

We ate lunch at Luna Red in downtown San Luis Obispo and had a brilliant, light, crunchy salad that was perfect for a warm Spring day in California. With the Greekfest right next door, the music made our day even more festive. The salad was filled with pea shoots, blood orange segments, carrots, radish, mint, a light citrus vinaigrette and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Couldn't have asked for anything better. A glass of rose and a table full of good friends made the afternoon complete. I highly recommend the restaurant.

The amazing selection of veggies at the farmers marke

One booth at the farmers market caught my eye, of course, with their big Gluten Free Goodies sign. I couldn't resist and bought a GF carrot cake muffin made with buckwheat and a delicious quinoa salad I'll be recreating later this week. (attempting I should say). It was filling and had a beautiful mix of savory and sweet with roasted veggies (yummy roasted carrots) and pepitas. I ate it cold right out of the container. Oh yeah!

But first up, after eating what was the best carrot cake muffin I've ever had (including my gluten-eating days), I decided to try and make it at home. Since Daughter has now eliminated eggs from her diet, that makes things a little more difficult, but not impossible. I do have vegan friends who I know will enjoy these also. The muffins in CA were not vegan, so this is just a small change and more of a challenge. I searched the Internet and found this recipe at She Let Them Eat Cake.com for buckwheat carrot muffins. These are already vegan, which is a plus.

I modified the recipe a bit to my own tastes, but I would encourage you to try her recipe also. And if you can't have some of the things I've added, feel free to eliminate what you want. I added the almond flour and GF oats for flavor, and added the splash of juice just because it looked a little thick. This may change based on your altitude and ingredients. If you add molasses, you may not need any more liquid. But I do like the oats for texture and flavor.



Gluten-Free & Vegan Buckwheat Carrot Muffins

1 & 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup GF oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups grated / shredded carrot (you could use zucchini too)

3/4 cup agave
1 mashed banana
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp ground flax combined with 9 tbsp hot water (or 3 eggs)
Splash of orange juice to loosen up the mixture if you need it.
1/2 cup golden raisins

Eating these at my desk while I write this makes me very happy

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with liners or grease with olive oil.

2. In a large bowl combine the first eight ingredients (dry).

3. Add shredded carrot to the dry ingredients and combine. In a medium-sized bowl combine agave, mashed banana, olive oil, and flax-hot water mixture. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add raisins last.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to the touch.

These are quite good, and amazingly fluffy and not too dense, considering there is no egg in it. I've never used flax and hot water before and I was quite amused at the egg-white-like texture it creates. The mixture is quite thick and gummy before baking and that must be due to the flax mixture. What a find. I will certainly be trying this with other dishes and baked goods. This is my first attempt at gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free baking. So far, so good.

In retrospect, these could use just a little more sweetness so I think a bit of molasses and honey, or an orange glaze on top will make them just a touch sweeter and tasty. A bit of Tofutti cream cheese will make them sing for me in the morning with my tea. Try them and let me know what you think.

Fresh Orange Cupcakes

I just love this time of year when the citrus trees are full of beautiful, fresh, sweet navel oranges. When we moved here 11 years ago, there were nine orange trees on the property. Now, there are three left that produce lovely fruit every year. Christmas morning, mimosas with fresh OJ are always on the menu.

But, what to do with all those oranges? Yes, I'm generous with them to everyone who visits, but I love cooking and baking, so I'm always looking to use them. Yesterday I had the urge to bake and decided on orange cupcakes with orange glaze on top. The fresh orange juice and grated orange peel makes it taste like a bite right out of an orange. If you don't have oranges you can get right in your back yard, I supposed you could use frozen or store-bought OJ, but I don't think it will be the same.

These were so good, I packed them into the basket on my bike this morning and rode over to a friend's house for tea and cupcakes. What a beautiful way to start the week. Hope your week is grand.

Fresh Orange Cupcakes
1 package Gluten Free Pantry yellow cake mix
2/3 cup fresh OJ
Grated rind from two oranges
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 stick butter, room temperature

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs fresh orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Line cupcake pan with cupcake papers.
4. Pour into cupcake pan, filling each about 3/4 full (this made 12 full-size cupcakes and about 9 minis)
5. Bake minis for about 10-12 minutes, full-sized cupcakes take about 5 more minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely while making the glaze.
7. To make the glaze, just add a little juice at a time to the sugar and mix until you have a thick, smooth consistency.
8. When cupcakes are cool, just drizzle the glaze over the top and add a little of the orange peel for color and a lovely tart bite, then let them set for a few minutes.

I dare you not to eat them in one night. They are so light and refreshing. But save some for tea in the morning, they are perfect.

Enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake and Carrot Cake...Happy Birthday to Me!

My darling daughter bakes a cake, just for me!

I celebrated my birthday a few days ago, and I've been continuing the celebration ever since. Actually it's been a birthday month for me. But more importantly, I gave myself permission to eat cake the entire month of July, with abandon. Good thing the month is almost up, I am going to need to lose a few pounds.

For the actual birthday, I made an ice cream cake similar to what my grandmother used to make when I was a kid. We would get to choose what kind of ice cream we wanted when it was our birthday, and then the celebration began. I wish there was a photo for you, but we ate it all so fast there wasn't enough time. But let me spell it out for you and you'll see why it didn't last.

In the bottom layer of a springform pan, crush half a package of Kinnikinnik K-Toos (take the filling out of about half of them) and add about 2 Tbs of melted butter. Press into a pan you've sprayed with nonstick (GF) spray. Let your first ice cream soften on the counter for a few minutes (I used Baskin Robbins chocolate chip). Each layer took about a quart. Layer the ice cream evenly over the crust mixture and freeze at least an hour.

Layer the rest of the crushed cookies (without butter) on top of the ice cream layer. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips in there if you want. We used about a 1/4 cup of Enjoy Life mini chips. Freeze again for about 30 minutes. Spread the next layer of ice cream (Baskin Robbins Gold Medal Ribbon) and freeze again for about an hour. Finally, pour a jar of chocolate fudge topping over the top and freeze again till you're ready to serve. And don't forget the whipped cream. Oh, that was good....

The best carrot cake in the entire world

OK, cake number two I just had tonight. My daughter wanted to make me another cake before the month was out and who am I to protest? Using The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free once again, she made a carrot cake that is out of this world. I haven't had carrot cake in years and even when I ate gluten, I couldn't eat the nuts so I would have to pass on the cake wherever I went. I never made one myself. Now, I see what I was missing. This cake had just enough spice and flavor and the cream cheese frosting was sweet and tart. No nuts, and just the right amount of golden raisins and fresh carrots. I ate it while it was still warm, I couldn't wait. My oldest daughter said, "It smells like Christmas in here," as it was baking. It sure felt like Christmas to me!

I'd love to give you the recipe, but I don't want to type it right out of her book. I urge you to get Anne Byrn's book, you won't regret it!

Enjoy!

Gluten-free brownie-cookie, ice-cream sandwiches...oh my!

Cookies with vanilla ice cream and chips.

Cookies in their lovely, chocolaty goodness...

My daughter decided to make dessert tonight! Oh my, so yummy. She's making me so proud as a young teenager with a talent for cooking and creativity. Using the Betty Crocker GF Brownie mix, she added a tsp of vanilla, 2 TBS of coconut oil and 2 eggs. Instead of making brownies, she put them in scoops on parchment paper and made cookies. (They spread a lot, so start with small scoops.) Oh my, if she left it at that it would have been tremendous. It's like eating the yummy, crunchy ends of the brownie in each bite. But then she added vanilla ice cream in between two of them and rolled it in Enjoy Life GF chocolate chips. Could there be anything better? I think not, you be the judge. Don't you just want to dive into this? I did (and another one, I admit it!)

Give it a shot. Any GF eater, and especially any GF youngster, will love you forever for this.

Enjoy!

A lovely GF Trifle

Gluten-free Trifle

Last night's book club meeting was at my place. What to make? The book, based in England in the early 1930s, gave me a great idea for dessert. How about a trifle? I'd heard of them, but never had one. First, I don't eat non-gf cake, and second, it always looked like so much trouble. So, being the clever girl that I am, I made one up for myself.

Wow, it turned out so beautiful and tasted wonderful. This is very unconventional and if anyone out there reading this is the least bit British, I apologize. But don't scoff too much until you've tried it. There were 9 of us eating (and my Daughter) and this giant bowl was empty in 20 minutes! The cake was moist and had a touch of lemon and the meringue cookies gave it a wonderful crunchy sweetness. This is not a diet dish at all, but for a special night it's worth the effort. It doesn't take long at all and is quite impressive, not to mention delightful!

GF Trifle
1.5 tubs Cool Whip
2 cups strawberries, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 lemon GF cake (I used Authentic Foods cake mix)
   (two eggs, 1/2 cup milk/almond milk, 1/4 olive oil)
4-6 vanilla meringue cookies
1/4 cup sugar or simple syrup

1. Mix berries and sugar in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate.
2. Make lemon cake as directed on the package. Let cool on rack completely and then slice into squares about 1 inch sq.
3. Assemble trifle in a glass bowl in order to show off the layers. Start with a layer of cake, dipping each piece in the syrup from the berries.
4. Next layer is berries (about half the berries)
5. Next layer is cool whip, spread evenly to cover all the berries.
6. Crumble 2-3 meringue cookies over the Cool Whip layer.
7. Repeat the layers of cake (dipped in syrup), berries, Cool Whip and cookies. (Save a little of the fruit for the top)
8. Top with remaining berries.
9. I added a little shaved dark chocolate on top for presentation and taste. I had a dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's and just grated it over the top. This is optional, of course.
10. Refrigerate till you need it. I wouldn't make this any more than about 1.5 hours before eating since the meringues will lose their crunch after some time.

Caprese with a twist

Also on the menu, a little twist on the typical Caprese salad. Add a little cantaloupe to the mix. It adds a touch of sweetness to the dish and with the balsamic, it's a wonderful new taste sensation. This is a photo of the dish before adding the aged balsamic just before serving. Also, add a little salt. Yum!

Enjoy!

Nourish - Scottsdale's GF/Veg Dream Come True

Acai Berry Martini

OK, I know I should have put a review in here much sooner, but I've been back three times already and I can't stop. Nourish is my new favorite restaurant in Scottsdale. Not only is it close to home, it's completely gluten free and more than half the items on the menu are vegetarian! It's like a dream come true....no actually it is a dream come true. As a gluten-free vegetarian, I don't know how many times I have said, "I wish there was a completely gluten-free and vegetarian restaurant I could walk into, feel comfortable about the menu and not spend a fortune. Yeah, like that will happen." Ha! It happened.

I'm also in love with the staff, who are friendly and helpful, and the owner, Kirstin Carey. She's friendly, funny and so willing to work with customers. Each time I've been there, she's come out to ask how the food is and for suggestions and ideas. She truly wants to create a place for those of us with allergies where we can eat with ease. (OK, she does have meat on the menu, but I'm overlooking that since I can't have everything, right? This way I can drag my carnivorous husband in for a healthy meal.)

Veggie Pizza

OK, on to the food. Since I've been back a few times, I could write a very long review but I'm going to stick with my favorites and recommend you go there yourself and try even more. The first time my husband and I ate at Nourish I had a veggie pizza. Fresh, thick and full of flavor, the best part of the pizza was the sauce. The restaurant uses GF Creations Italian pizza crust so I knew I would like those, but it's the sauce that makes it all worth it. Kirstin explained how they wanted to make a sauce that stood up to the crust and didn't soak in. Wow, they achieved that-and more. It's thick, tangy and tastes like someone's grandmother has been back there making sauce all day. My daughter has had it and wanted to take some home. The pizza also had fresh spinach, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes. The cheese was lightly added on top so it didn't overpower the pizza. All in all, a great entree that was big enough for Daughter and I to share.

Quiche with spinach and bacon

My husband had a spinach quiche with a quinoa crust that was fabulous. I've never had a crust made of quinoa (and I'm not talking about flour but the actual quinoa) and it was very tasty. It's also black quinoa, which I had never had either. The quiche did have bacon in it, so I just tried a little of the crust. Husband said it was great and devoured the entire piece, which was quite huge along with a side and salad.

Lemon Gluten-Free Cheescake

Dessert was a fabulous lemon cheesecake to die for! I don't usually go in for dessert when I'm out, but we couldn't resist. The crust was flaky and light, the cheesecake tasted like something my mom would have made, only better. (sorry Mom!) Being from New Jersey, we take our cheesecakes very seriously and this was one of the best I've ever had. No, it's not dairy free, but who would want that?

Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Apricot Dipping Sauce

I'll wrap this up with my two favorites...the sweet potato fries are air-fried (how do you air fry? I have no idea) oil-free, crispy and light, not greasy like most sweet potato fries. They come with a sweet yet spicy chipotle apricot dipping sauce that takes them to a new level of fry goodness. I crave these now...

I know I said I would try and keep this short, and I didn't even mention the red & white quinoa salad, sweet potato and avocado salad or the spicy mango avocado salad. There is so much, I can't help myself. I'm also looking forward to trying the Crispy Baked Eggplant Parmesan, which is gluten-free and vegetarian. (My stomach is growling right now)

Nourish also has a cute little bar and I've become a convert to the acai berry martini (photo above) which is Prairie Organic Vodka, Veev acai berry liquor and a splash of key lime Oogave soda. It's light, not too sweet and has no bite to it at all. It goes down smoothly and works great with any of the dishes. Light and satisfying. So, what are you waiting for? Get down there before everyone knows about it and you can't get a table!

Dear Nourish...Thanks for making my dreams come true.

Enjoy!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies

Today's review is short and sweet! YUM...
While shopping in Safeway tonight, I came across the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie mix. I thought it sounded wonderful and since I'm coming off of 2 weeks without sugar, what could be better?

The box calls for 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of melted butter. To keep as dairy free as possible, I substituted 1/4 cup of grapeseed/coconut oil instead (I did add the two eggs). It didn't seem to make a difference in the brownie itself and the taste was wonderful. Daughter at three pieces and didn't want to eat dinner. My husband, who usually avoids anything gluten free or vegetarian, ate two brownies and wanted more.

These are gooey, chewy, chocolaty and sweet. The mix even has chocolate chips in it, which makes the brownie even more chocolaty and yummy. It is so gooey when warm, daughter suggested putting vanilla ice cream on it. Sounded great except we didn't have any, which was a good thing considering I'm trying to leave out dairy right now.


If you see this in the store, give it a try. They are crunchy on the edges, chewy on the inside and very chocolaty. I don't think most people could tell the difference.

Enjoy.

Chocolate Mousse Tofu Pie

Ok, take that look off your face. Yes, it's made with tofu, and yes, it's very, very good. Daughter ate two pieces and Husband ate one and the pie is practically gone. It's much better than you tofu newbies would realize. I remember making this for my niece many years ago. She ate the entire thing with her friends without even realizing it was tofu. When I told her, she still didn't believe it. But she did ask for another one...

Of course, it's not the healthiest pie out there. Yes, it's made with tofu, dear chef, but it's also made with chocolate chips and Cool Whip. But if you weigh it all out, it's still a pie with tons of protein, so we won't complain. It's also a pie with lots of taste, trust me. I found the recipe many years ago on a tofu package (Mori-Nu, I believe) and of course modified it to my own way of eating. I didn't change it that much, the original recipe was pretty good, but of course everything has to be modified for those of us going GF. The main change was the crust. Instead of chocolate or graham cracker crust, I made my own using Pamela's cookies and butter. Yum. Try it and see what you think.

This recipe made a lot of pies, I would suggest cutting it in half the first time you make it. I made two mini pies, two small pies and four frozen pops. The bag of cookies was enough for all, although I used some of the ginger snaps for one pie just to change it up a little.

Chocolate Mousse Tofu Pie
1 7 oz. package of Pamela's Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies (GF)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Two 16 oz. packages of silken tofu, drained
1 bag of GF chocolate chips
1 tsp GF vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tub of Cool Whip, thawed
Mini chocolate chips for decoration
A little more Cool Whip to serve with the pie, if you want

1. Grind up cookies in food processor, or place them in a ziplock and pound them.
2. Add about 1/4 cup melted butter to cookie crumbs. Mix thoroughly.
3. Pour crumbs into sprayed pie pans and spread along the bottom and up along the sides as much as possible.
4. Set pie crusts in the freezer while you make the pie.

5. Put tofu in blender and blend until smooth.
6. Melt chocolate in microwave for about 45 - 60 seconds. Stir well.
7. Add melted chocolate, agave and vanilla to tofu and blend.
8. Pour chocolate mixture into pie shells
9. Garnish with mini chips if desired
10. Place in freezer for about an hour.

I like to serve with a little more Cool Whip, but it's really not necessary. I'm just a big fan of Cool Whip (I know, I know, but I still like it.)

These cookies are wonderful. They make a great crust for any pie. I recommend the ginger snaps for a GF cheesecake, yummy. Pamela's also makes a great chocolate chip mini cookie that make a great snack.


Enjoy!

Fantastic GF Pistachio Cookies

We visited the Desert Botanical Gardens here in Phoenix this week and I just had to share. This is part of the Chihuly exhibit going on until May. It's simply incredible. The glass work is amazing, and it's such a sight to see when everything at the garden is blooming. Quite a tremendous sight. I urge anyone in the area to see it, and when his exhibit comes to your town, don't miss it. Now on to the food.

Thanks to my good friend Sherri, I now have a wonderful new cookie. I made these in just about 30 minutes and brought them to book club tonight. Everyone raved and I don't blame them, they are wonderful, simple and very delish! I did add a little vanilla, a little agave, and white chocolate garnish to the recipe, but I think everything tastes better with a little chocolate, don't you? But you're welcome to leave it out if you're not a chocolate fan. And I made a few with semi-sweet chocolate also, even though they are not in the photo. Those went over pretty big. They're a cinch to make and so tasty. Give them a try.

GF Pistachio Cookies
3 cups of pistachios, ground up in a food processor (but not to a paste, just coarsely ground)
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 tsp gf vanilla extract
1 tsp agave nectar
1 cup gf white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Grind nuts, leaving a few out if you don't have extra to stick on the top of each cookie.
3. Add sugar, vanilla, agave and egg whites to nuts and mix thoroughly.
4. Put mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes, or freezer for 20. You can even leave them overnight if you want, but you just want it cold and easy to handle.
5. Shape mixture into small balls and roll in a little sugar (optional) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. This is important cuz' these will stick without the paper.
6. Press the cookies down flat, poke a pistachio in the center.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, depending on how big they are. You'll see the edged looking pretty brown.
8. Let them cool as you melt the chocolate in the microwave. Nuke for 20 seconds, then stir. Nuke another 20 seconds and stir again. This should be enough time to melt it all. I put the chocolate in a small, resealable plastic bag, cut the tip off and use it to pipe onto the cookies.
9. You can place the cookies in the fridge to firm up the chocolate. I had to do this to make it to book club on time, but I'm sure they cool on their own in time.


Enjoy!

Little GF Brownie Bites

While at a party recently, I was eyeing the little brownie bites on the buffet and kicking myself since I can't eat those anymore (and glad I couldn't eat the calories). But a little light bulb went off above my head--why not make my own brownie bites? Using a recipe similar to the flourless chocolate cake Daughter makes, and tips I found online, we came up with a great little brownie bite tonight.

Daughter took over and made them while I whipped up some garlic, pepper, tomato and mushroom pasta. After eating way too much pasta because I love it so much, I then proceeded to eat way too many brownie bites (we all did)...they are chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside and so chocolaty. I'm so excited that we now have an easy, bite-sized dessert to share when guests come over (and it just so happens they are coming tomorrow).

I used a mini muffin pan that I bought a long time ago. If you can't find one, you can buy the aluminum mini tins at Safeway or just use a regular muffin pan, but I wouldn't fill them up. I would fill it just 1/2 way so they aren't too thick. Then adjust your cooking time accordingly.


Daughter took this photo to show how great they are inside...yum!

Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Bites

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsweetened, alkalized cocoa powder (buy the best you can find, it's worth the money)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups candied pecans (or any kind of nut you prefer, I had a bag of Trader Joe's candied pecans, so we used those.)
4 large egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (GF of course)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix with a fork to combine.
3. Using a mixer (I use an old hand mixer, but you can use a stand mixer) add egg whites slowly as you mix on medium. Keep mixing for about 5 minutes or mixture is thickened.
4. Stir in nuts and chips. Mix thoroughly. Mixture should be very thick.
5. Pour into tiny muffin tins, which have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Fill each cup about 3/4 full. We made 36 bites from this recipe.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes. Tops will crack but be careful not to undercook or the bites will be mushy inside.
7. Let bites cool on a rack for a few minutes, then gently take out of the pan. Cool on a wire rack till completely cool, then store in an airtight container (and hide it from everyone or they will all be gone by morning!)

Note: I would use less nuts next time, since I'm not a big nut fan. But I love, love, love these and I'm not complaining. I ate way too many tonight and will eat more tomorrow. Then I'll have to make more with all kinds of tests such as raspberry, mint, orange, no nuts, more chips, white chocolate chips, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

Muffins for Everyone!

Yipee!

I have finally found it...the elusive gluten-free muffin that tastes good. It's like finding the holy grail. While shopping at Whole Foods yesterday, I came across a new brand of GF cake mix. Well, it's new to me. I don't know how new it is in the world. Since I don't have a Whole Foods close by, I have to make an effort to head out there. And I do it just about every 2-3 months really. It's not that far, I just never head out in that direction very often.



Anyway, this is the mix--Authentic Foods Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix.

I found this at the Whole Foods market on Tatum and Shea in Scottsdale, for those of you in the area. Of course, I had to modify the recipe a bit. Don't we always? I just can't leave things alone. I've been craving chocolate chip muffins for ages, well since I went GF. I haven't had a good muffin since then and it's been killing me. Sure, there are some good donuts, but nothing satisfies like a good muffin with your coffee in the morning.

As you can see, these muffins are moist, chewy, crunchy on the outside and lovely on the inside. Even my kids were praising them and I had to tell them to get their mits off of them. I may have to head out to Whole Foods again before the summer is out.

Of course, these are not low-fat or low-calorie, but on this diet sometimes I just crave something that I remember from the "good-old-days" when I used to eat anything without ever asking what was in it. These come really, really close.




Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup half-and-half (minus 2 TBS)
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract (GF of course)
1 package Authentic Foods vanilla cake mix
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
pinch of sugar for top of muffins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk eggs, olive oil, half-and-half, orange juice and vanilla.

Add cake mix and pudding mix and stir. Be careful not to over mix. Batter will be thick.

Add chips and mix quickly.

Place batter in greased or sprayed muffin tins. FIll to about 3/4 full. Sprinkle a small amount of sugar on top if you want a crunchy top to your muffin.

Let batter sit for 5 minutes before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. If they're brown on top, they are probably done.

Let stand for 5 minutes to cool, if you can wait that long.

Enjoy!