Mexican Café Cocoa-Cinnamon Pinto Bean Brownie Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Fudgy, cinnamon-kissed muffin made from pureed pinto beans, cocoa and almond-oat flours for high fiber and lower sugar.
Best for High-fiber, lower-sugar breakfast or snack
These brownie-style muffins use pureed pinto beans as the moist, protein- and fiber-rich base, flavored with cocoa, cinnamon and a whisper of espresso for café depth. Almond and gluten-free oat flours give structure without overloading refined starch; a touch of maple keeps sugar low while Greek yogurt and eggs keep the crumb tender. They bake up crackly on top with a fudgy interior—perfect for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.
Ingredients
- 240 g Cooked pinto beans , cooked, drained and rinsed (about 1 scant cup)
- 2 large eggs , room temperature
- 60 ml maple syrup , or honey
- 60 ml olive oil , or neutral oil
- 80 g Plain Greek yogurt , full-fat or 2% for tenderness
- 5 ml pure vanilla extract
- 35 g unsweetened cocoa powder , sift briefly if lumpy
- 5 g ground cinnamon , Mexican-style cinnamon if available
- 100 g almond flour , lightly packed
- 60 g gluten-free oat flour , or grind certified gluten-free rolled oats to a fine flour
- 8 g Baking powder
- 1 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 15 g Ground flaxseed , adds fiber and helps bind
- 1 g Instant espresso powder , optional but enhances chocolate depth (optional – can be omitted)
- 60 g Dark chocolate chips , plus extra for sprinkling on top (optional – can be omitted)
Instructions
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1
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups; set a cooling rack nearby.
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2
Make the wet base: place the drained pinto beans, eggs, maple syrup, oil, Greek yogurt and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add the cinnamon and espresso powder if using. Purée until completely smooth and glossy (stop and scrape down the sides as needed).
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3
Whisk the dry ingredients: in a bowl combine almond flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground flax until uniform.
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4
Fold and rest: pour the wet purée into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks are fine; finish with the optional chocolate chips. Let the batter rest 8–10 minutes so the oat and flax hydrate (batter will thicken).
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5
Portion and bake: divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups (about 60–70 g batter each). Smooth tops and scatter a few extra chocolate chips on top if using. Bake at 180°C for 16–18 minutes, until tops look set and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
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6
Cool: let muffins cool in the tin for 8–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They keep well at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.