Wrapped up in soft long sleeves and knee-high socks, the night air still felt unseasonably harsh. Pumpkins and butternut squash looked like aliens in the produce department, suddenly materializing out of nowhere. Have they always been quite so orange, or so large? A year is a long time to go without seeing a close friend, and any small change (or constant, for that matter) seems magnified to outlandish proportions. Considering that it’s now mid-September, the annual shift in temperatures and available vegetables is right on schedule, but it’s me that is behind the times.
Nightfall comes to earlier, too, and the air is much too dry. Autumn is no doubt a beautiful time of year with many good aspects to look forward to, but I’m just not ready to embrace it yet. There are still cherry tomatoes ripening in the garden, for crying out loud!
But fall waits for no one; an impatient and demanding guest at best. Unwilling to dive into the deep end right away, a gentle dip into the season sounded like a more comfortable approach. One toe at a time, feeling out the waters, trying hard to settle in no matter how swift the current. Passing the squash for now, I moved on to a long-forgotten bag of flour in my pantry that seemed like an easier way to greet autumn. Yes, flour: Mesquite flour, to be precise.
Mesquite flour isn’t seasonal per se, but it has cooler weather written all over it if you ask me. Mesquite reminds me of autumn because it has a warm, toasty flavor, reminiscent of a crackling, smokey wood fire in the fireplace. That rich, earthy scent that fills the air as the smoke rises up through the chimney and is whisked away with the brisk breeze; That’s what I think of every time I open up that bag of flour and inhale deeply. Just like that, I’m feeling warmer and lighter in spirit already.
Turning on the oven never felt more satisfying. After nearly record breaking stretches of silence over the summer, it creaked grumpily back to life before returning to a contented purr. Something simple and comforting was in order, and I knew just the thing. Muffins, inspired by those made by Amanda Chronister (previously of Vegan Core) as part of a swap practically a lifetime ago, sounded like a tender and sweet vehicle for this dark, warm flavor.
Click to see the original recipe at full size
Continuing to tweak as I went, the muffins became anything but the simple crumb-topped treats I had first envisioned. Coffee took the place of soymilk and cacao nibs made a crunchy companion to the chocolate chips, further enhancing the roasted essence of the mesquite. Ending up with something entirely different from the inspiration, I was happy nonetheless to still have found the original recipe, still as cute and carefully drawn out as ever.
While mesquite may not be an everyday sort of ingredient, it’s worth the pantry space when it can deliver such a unique and satisfying flavor as this.
Chocolate Chip Mesquite Muffins
Mesquite flour imparts a warm, woodsy, smoky, almost malty flavor to these jumbo muffins, stuffed with chocolate chips and crowned by a crisp topping of turbinado sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 Cup Mesquite Flour
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Flaxseeds
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks
- 1/4 Cup Cacao Nibs
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Brewed Coffee, Chilled
- Turbinado Sugar, to Top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and either lightly grease or line 10 standard muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the both flours, sugar, ground flax, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Toss in the chocolate and cacao nibs, and mix lightly to coat the pieces with flour.
- Separately, stir together the oil and coffee before pouring both into the bowl of dry goods. Stir just enough to combine and create a mostly smooth batter. Distribute the batter equally between your prepared muffins tins, and lightly sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 15 – 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center pulls out clean. (Make sure that gooey chocolate chips don’t trick you into over-baking the muffins!) Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before letting them come to room temperature on a wire rack.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 206mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 2g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.
Intriguing recipe!
Yum, cacao nibs in conjunction with chocolate chips? Sounds great! AND coffee AND mesquite? Okay, maybe fall ain’t so bad after all ;)
I actually made my first pumpkin dish last night and it was perfect timing because the weather went from 90 degrees to freezing. It’s insane.
I’ve never had mesquite flour but it sounds just lovely!
Mmm those muffs look amazing–I’ve always wanted to play around with mesquite flour. Need to order a bag soon!
I SO wish I were visiting you right now so I could taste one for myself!
I love illustrated recipes. They are so cute.
I never even knew there was such a thing as mesquite flour. Sounds heavenly! And the muffins look very Fall like. :-)
Those muffins look absolutely perfect! Love the combination of flavours too. Wish I hadn’t recently used up all my mesquite flour :/
Oooooh! What a great idea! I love love love the flavor of mesquite flour. It’s so unique, isn’t it? I’ve got a pretty big bag of it, so I’ll definitely try this, thanks so much!
These look unique and absolutely beauuttiffulll! A totally gorgeous post in every way :)
I adore coffee, and love smokey flavours in my chocolate. I therefore know, know, know I’d love this. I *think* I may have once seen mesquite flour at a health food store way out somewhere in Canberra… keep your fingers crossed for me! :)
Interesting recipe….but mesquite flour is something I’ve never heard of before.
Where might I find this type of flour? Thanks. :)
You can find mesquite flour at most Whole Foods Markets or your local health food store. Sometimes it’s hidden in with supplements though (along with the superfood powders and such) and other times it may be in with the raw items, if there is such a section in your particular store. It can sometimes be tricky to hunt down, but should all else fail, there’s always online ordering. :)
Tempting! I could eat a dozen. LOL. This is a great recipe to welcome Fall :)
The muffins look delicious. The top photo looks like beautiful sugar cookies!
I always learn so much from your blog posts! I never heard of mesquite flour before. And, by the way, those muffins look beautiful.
I’m intrigued, I cannot imagine the flavors in my head, so I guess I’m gonna have to make some to be sure! I love new cooking adventures :)
These look yummy! Would be great with coffee or a liter of ice cold fresh milk.
thank you for this recipe! my sister recently gifted me with freshly milled mesquite flour from pods she collected herself from a tree in her yard, and since that makes such a great story, I’ve wanted to bake with it (obviously), but I haven’t had the vaguest clue where to start. Thanks again!!!
Mmm that sugary top looks so good! I’m very curious to try various flours and mesquite is near the top of my list!
You really have a way with words, Hannah…beautiful post! I’m with you on autumn’s near-arrival…although it’s my favorite season I’m still left wondering where summer went! These muffins are gorgeous. I’ve never heard of mesquite flour but I think I’d really enjoy it’s flavor…I will definitely look for it!
I never realized you could make a flour out of mesquite. I am going to have to get some to try it. Thank you!
How is it that I haven’t heard of Mesquite Flour. I know I’ve been baking long enough. Oh, the things I will do with this discovery! I totally need one of those muffins. ASAP!
They look amazing & I love your muffin pan w/ the fancy circles. I tried your meringue recipe from the vida con cooking demo you gave & they came out perfectly. I made vanilla meringue cookies & put chocolate & coconut on the bottom. YUM! Thanks for doing the demo, now I need to get your book so I can make macarons.
Mesquite and cacao? Yes, please!
looks so great, now just to grab a glass of milk and enjoy your delicious muffins :)
feel free to stop by my site am giving away a free babycake cupcake maker :)
Ooh, I have been wanting to try mesquite for ages! Those muffins look perfect.
Fun to find this post in my backlogged Google Reader. I coincidentally wrote about a mesquite flour cupcake just a few days after you. I totally agree that mesquite has a Fall feel to it. I love the flavor! Those muffins look perfect!
That original hand drawn recipe is too cute! I would love to try these muffins as I’ve been curious about mesquite flour but so rarely see it. I think I saw it in a store once maybe.
Just got some mesquite and excited to try lots of recipes with it! I’m from the UK and not sure what all purpose flour is? Is it white flour? Would the flavour of wholewheat flour be too strong with the mesquite?
Thanks!
Hannah
Yes, all purpose is just plain white flour. I wouldn’t recommend whole wheat since that flavor might compete a bit too much with the mesquite, as you figured. White whole wheat could work, however, if you have access to it.
I just made this recipe, and it turned out AMAZING! I used 1/2 cup whole rye flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat bread flour + 2 Tbsp soy flour (instead of all-purpose flour), 1/4 cup maple syrup (instead of 3/4 cup sugar), soy milk instead of coffee, and 3 Tbsp canola oil (instead of 1/3 cup). They are moist, sweet, tasty, and have the perfect fluffy texture and a beautiful caramel colour. Thank you for an amazing and flexible muffin recipe. I would definitely make these again.