Chocolate Hazelnut Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Dry:

1 1/4 C. PureLiving Sprouted Brown Rice Flour

1/2 C. hazelnut meal (see instructions below)

1/2 C. Shiloh Farms Organic Cocoa Powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. Shiloh Farms Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 C. Shiloh Farms Organic Date Sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

Wet:

2 large eggs

3/4 C. canned pumpkin

1/2 C. plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Additional:

1/2 C. Shiloh Farms Allergen Free Mini Dark Chocolate Chips

1/2 C. Shiloh Farms Organic Hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together first 6 ingredients (through salt); set aside

3.  In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix well; add sugars and whisk until incorporated

4.  Add wet mixture to flour and stir until well blended; fold in chocolate chips and nuts

5.  Pour batter into lined muffin tins and bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean

6.  Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack before storing

---

Making Hazelnut Meal:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Spread Shiloh Farms Organic Hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake 10-12 minutes, or until skins just begin to blister and nuts are fragrant

3.  Remove from oven and wrap hazelnuts in clean dish towel; allow to cool slightly, then use towel to gently rub skins off hazelnuts (it is okay if some skins remain)

4.  Allow nuts to cool completely before proceeding to next step

5.  Place hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse in short 5 second intervals, scraping between pulses, until they reach the consistency of cornmeal (be careful not to process too long, or you may make hazelnut butter!)

Tips:
1. If time allows, it is helpful to freeze hazelnuts after toasting and before processing into meal.
2. Adding a few tablespoons of sugar to the food processor will help to absorb the oil from the nuts, reducing the chance that they will turn into hazelnut butter. If making hazelnut meal for a recipe, use sugar from the recipe (not additional sugar).