Yet Another Experimental Concoction
recipe at the end of the post
The other day I needed something chocolate to snack on. Boo on that paltry description! What I really needed was something chocolate flavored, brownie-like, gooey lava cake-like, and oh yes, made in a hurry!
There are a ton of cake, muffin, and brownie in a mug recipes out there, but half the time I don't have every ingredient listed, so it becomes improvisation sensation time.
I've been staying away from starches and refined sugar for the last few years. I don't really miss the sugar too much, but there are times that I want a brownie topped with cookie dough ice cream that is swimming in a puddle of chocolate sauce. I also happen to be a busy person, like I am sure that most of you are, so enter the mug thing.
This little confection is not too shabby in the taste department, and I have made it more than once, so that says something about its ability to satisfy my chocolate cravings.
Method:
You have to start with a microwave safe mug, and for my purist friends, I am totally sure that you could bake this little gem in a ramekin in the oven. I know the thought of using the microwave horrifies some folks, so that alternate cooking option is always there!
Next, you crack an egg into that mug. Give it a whisk.
Now, on to the rest of the ingredients:
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Cocoa Powder
Peanut Flour
Ground Flax Meal
Baking Powder
Erythritol Blend and Stevia
Water
Vanilla
And A Pinch Of Salt
Also, because I was feeling rather decadent, I threw in a 1.5 Tablespoons of Sour Cream. This is optional. You could also use Greek Yogurt, Coconut Yogurt, etc...This addition ups the gooey factor.
I mixed all of the ingredients in the mug with "good, old-fashioned maximum effort" and then plopped that mug into the microwave for 50 seconds.
Note: If you want the lava cake effect, you cannot over cook this little chocolate confection. Start with 45 seconds in the microwave and adjust your cook time from there.
The finished product:
Now, I am sure that the little cakie is just fine by its lonesome, but I like to adorn my food things. I have this marvelous sugar free chocolate syrup that I bathed my mug brownie in. Some whipped coconut cream would be divine, or some peanut, almond, or cashew butter. Really, anything that brings your taste buds joy would be a fine garnish. Eating the brownie plain is an option as well.
The Bodacious Lava-Brownie In A Mug
1 Egg
1 Overloaded TBSP Cocoa Powder-Heap That Sucka!
1 TBSP Peanut Flour
1 TBSP Golden Flax Meal
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (or butter)
2 TBSP Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Erythritol/Stevia blend (Truvia, Pyure, etc.)
1/32 tsp of Stevia
Pinch of salt
Optional: 1-2 TBSP Sour Cream, Greek Yogurt, or Coconut
Yogurt This helps achieve an even more gooey result.Crack the egg in a microwave safe mug. Whisk it tell it screams (you'll know). Chuck everything else in the mug and mix it HARD! Work those triceps! Microwave for 45 seconds. Don't over-microwave, it will yield a gross, eggy, spongy thing that you could scrub pots with. Don't say that I didn't warn you!
A note on sweeteners: Use what fits your philosophy. Honey, molasses, monkfruit, the list goes on. You are alive, so everything is killing you. Some things just kill you more slowly, some things are better for you than others, and you could also die today walking down the street. Enjoy your time here!
And always, all of the images in this post were taken by the author on her peanut flour-dusted iPhone.