PHOODIE’S COCONUT, OAT AND ROASTED HAZELNUT BREAKFAST MUFFINS (WITH HOMEMADE ‘NUTELLA!’) 1

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY VITASOY COCONUT MILK

Long time Phoodies will know that Coconut and I go back a LONG way. Pretty much since I was a newborn, I have been OBSESSED with anything and everything that comes from, is related to, smells like, or is a form of this precious wonder of nature. Coconuts even score a special mention on the “About Me” section of this blog! In addition, they appear on all of my profile descriptions across Social Media. It’s pretty fair to say I LOVE ‘em!

So… you can IMAGINE how excited I was when I was given the opportunity to test out Vitasoy’s new Coconut Milk products! And if you can’t imagine, the answer is SUPER EXCITED. I have been lucky enough to have guzzled down these gorgeous milks (original and unsweetened) straight and I have ALSO been having a tonne of fun incorporating them into loads of simple and delicious breakfast recipes. The beauty about this milk is that it makes an excellent (dairy and lactose free) alternative to traditional milk in popular breakfast drinks, like smoothies and milkshakes. But not only that, it satisfies those among us who like to mix it up a little in the morning and try something new with what we eat first thing out of bed. There is also a super ‘summery vibe’ to this milk… just a whiff and I am lying on the beach in Hawaii without a care in the world…. (Until of course I realise that school lunches still need to be made and uniforms need to be found and put on and that the car has no petrol and we’re running late etc etc) A girl can daydream cant she!?

So, with all of that said, I am actually going to share TWO recipes with you in this post! The first is a DELICIOUSLY satisfying, wholesome, jam-packed-with-goodness Brekkie Muffin. These muffins are perfect for a meal on the go and they are also great for school or work lunchboxes. (Although they are always yummier when eaten warm and fresh, these can be frozen for up to 6 weeks; convenience factor 100!)….And the second recipe, (drum roll please) is one that SO many of you have been asking me to share on PHOODIE  for forever (and I actually drizzled it over the muffins in the pics that you can see, but you can eat it independently on toast or fresh bread)…. HOMEMADE NUTELLA! This is also yummier eaten within the first 48 hours of making it but lasts in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Vitasoy Coconut Milk (Both the Original and the Unsweetened versions) is available in all major supermarkets for $3.70.

PHOODIE’S COCONUT, OAT AND ROASTED HAZELNUT BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Makes 12 Breakfast muffins

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Vitasoy Original Coconut Milk

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 cups rolled oats

2 eggs (60g each)

½ cup brown sugar

250g unsalted butter

2 ¼ cups plain flour

A pinch of table salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups desiccated coconut

1 cup roasted hazelnuts (see ‘Homemade Nutella’ recipe for how to roast the nuts, and perhaps you will want to roast the nuts needed for these muffins at the same time you are roasting those you will need for the Nutella.)

Homemade ‘Nutella’ and toasted coconut flakes – to garnish

METHOD

1) Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

2) Mix the Vitasoy Coconut Milk with the vinegar in a large bowl and stir in the oats. Set aside on the bench for 45 minutes. (While the oats are resting, now is the time to make the ’Nutella’– see Homemade ‘Nutella’ recipe below.)

3) After the oats have rested for 45 minutes, melt the butter in the microwave and set aside on the bench to cool for a couple of minutes.

4) Add the brown sugar and the egg into the oat mixture and stir. Pour the cooled melted butter into the bowl and stir again thoroughly.

5) Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over the top of the oat mixture. Without yet mixing, scatter the desiccated coconut and chopped roasted hazelnuts evenly over the top of all the ingredients.

6) Now THIS is the most important step! FOLD the dry ingredients through the wet ingredients making sure NOT to OVERMIX! Over mixing is your worst enemy when making muffins. If you stir or mix too thoroughly you will end up with rock cakes! You ONLY want to fold to incorporate. It is always better to under-combine in the case of muffins than to over mix. Even if you can still see some flecks of flour that haven’t been mixed in, that is ok. The whole folding process should happen in 8-10 folds with the wooden spoon. Even though these muffins are on the denser side, due to the oats being a key ingredient, they are still meant to be soft and of course edible – so don’t over stir!

7) Divide batter evenly into the 12 muffin liners and bake for approximately 10 – 14 minutes. Do not open the oven BEFORE the 10 minute mark as that is when the baking powder and soda and doing their thing, but check the muffins with a skewer after this point. A skewer, when inserted, should come out clean when the muffins are ready.

8) Top muffins with a dollop of homemade ‘Nutella’ and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes. (Note: I topped mine with ‘Nutella’ as SOON as they came out of the oven and it melted and dripped down the sides – yum! However, if you prefer the ‘Nutella’ to stay in a blob on the top, wait until the muffins have cooled before adding it!)

HOMEMADE ‘NUTELLA’

Makes about 2 ½ cups

2 cups roasted hazelnuts

½ cup Vitasoy Original Coconut Milk

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/3 cup cocoa powder

½  cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla essence/extract

METHOD

1) Roast the hazelnuts in a 180/190 degree Celsius oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are golden and a beautiful nutty smell is wafting about.

2) Once nuts are roasted, remove them from the oven and place onto a damp tea towel. Fold the tea towel over the nuts and rub up and down to remove the skins. This has to be done as soon as the nuts come out of the oven as the hot nuts combined with the cold/damp towel is what makes the skins come off easily!

3) If you have roasted nuts for both the muffins and the ‘Nutella’ set aside the muffin nuts and place the 2 cups needed for the ‘Nutella’ into a food processor. Blend the nuts until they reach the consistency of peanut butter. BE CAREFUL not to over blend! It is better to do this is short bursts and to keep checking on them as you go! Don’t walk away or check your Instagram feed while doing this!

4) Once the hazelnuts have reached the butter consistency add in all of the other ingredients and then blend until combined. Again, be careful not to over blend. Consistency is everything! Taste the ‘Nutella’ and see if it needs more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes or desired texture.

5) Store in jars in the fridge for a week to 10 days.