Black Bean and Beet Muffins (Kid Approved)

I made these muffins on a whim one day and they turned out really great and my pickiest of picky daughters ate one and asked for more! I knew that's when I had a winning recipe. This has been pretty "foolproof" for me. You could sub a different kind of vegetable (like carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, etc...). You could also sub banana for applesauce and even add peanut butter. I've also used oats for part of the flour! This recipe made 20 muffins.

Tip: Make these muffins when your kiddo isn't around and don't tell her what's in it even after she tries it. If you do tell her she'll suddenly not like them anymore!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. beets, boiled, skin-removed and quartered
• ¾ cup black beans, drained and rinsed 
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Almond milk (only as necessary)
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder (I like to sift mine)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (plus enough to put 5 on top of each muffin)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line muffin tin with paper muffin cups and spray with cooking spray. Set aside
3. In a Cuisinart fitted with a blade, combine beets, black bean, applesauce, and yogurt. Mix until smooth.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again until well mixed.
5. Pour into a 4-cup measuring cup to make sure there is 3 cups of puree mix. If not, add a little almond milk to make 3 cups.
6. In a separate bowl (I use a KitchenAid), combine flours, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
7. Pour puree into flour bowl and mix until well combined.
8. Add ¾ cup chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
9. Using a regular-sized cookie scoop, pour two scoops into each muffin tin and top each muffin with 5 chocolate chips.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until done.