Aztec Mocha Muffins

I am so incredibly blessed! It is another GORGEOUS sunny day. It's supposed to be over 80 degrees today! That's amazing. Woody and I haven't decided what we're going to do yet but a hike or a bike ride or something of that nature is definitely in order! I want to soak in the sun's rays ALL DAY!

Here's another reason why I'm blessed.

Sweet, gorgeous man making me breakfast? Yes, please!

Scrambled eggs with onion, garlic, broccoli, green pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and basil.

Topped with hummus, nutritional yeast, avocado and sriracha sauce.

With a piece of Udi's bread toasted with a little earth balance and sweet baby tomatoes on the side. 

Yum.

We ate on the front porch, smiling and filling our bellies as the sun gently kissed our faces with radiance and warmth! It is going to be a GLORIOUS day.

Here's another blessing.

Have you ever had an aztec mocha before? It's basically a mocha that is flavored with some sort of spicy chili pepper. This is an aztec mocha in muffin form! I almost want to call these cupcakes actually, because they are so moist and fluffy like cake, but they are not too sweet. So I guess these are what would happen if a cupcake and a muffin made love and had babies. :-)

Aztec Mocha Muffin/Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix (In case you haven't noticed, I use this A LOT. I haven't been eating gluten for a while and this is my FAVORITE gluten-free flour mix. You can totally experiment by using another flour for this recipe.) 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I didn't feel that this was enough. Next time, I will probably add another tsp or two)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (This is a good amount for someone who is sensitive, however I wish I had added a whole tsp or more. Next time, I would like to make these much spicier!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup espresso 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• And these: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your flax egg in a medium large bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes to thicken. Melt your coconut oil if it is not melted already. Add the coconut oil to your flax egg. Then add the rest of your liquid ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, coconut milk and espresso. In a separate bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cayenne and salt. Pour your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then add your chocolate covered espresso bits! I didn't measure how much I used. I just threw in a couple handfuls until it looked right to me! Lightly grease your muffin tin or use muffin tin liners. Fill them about 3/4 of the way then place in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes 12 small muffins (or cupcakes!) Whatever ;-) 

These turned out absolutely amazing. So moist and delicious, bursting with spice, chocolate and coffee flavors with little bits of toffeed espresso bits exploding in your mouth! Next time, I'm going to add even more spice! I want to feel the burn. :-) 

Life is SO SWEET! 

Now I'm going to enjoy some more sweetness. Sweet sunshine, sweet lover and sweet doggies :-)