Nettle Chocolate Muffins

Dina Ranade — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 17:24:34 +0000

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The first herb I ever took medicinally, long before I began to study herbalism, was Urtica dioica powder in a capsule. I did not even know it was also called nettles. This was about two years after having three children in three years. I felt ok but had developed a chronic cough and sore throat and my father was worried about me. My health conscious, avid reader father explored alternatives for his own healthcare and had found a chiropractor/pharmacist who he thought I should see. He made the appointment for me and drove me there; waited three hours in the waiting room, and paid for the appointment including purchasing the supplements that were recommended, one of which was nettles. Looking back now I realize how lucky I was to have such a wonderful and concerned father, I also realize that the Urtica dioica was prescribed for restoration of my very depleted triple post pregnancy/childbirth and new mother state of health, as well as the cough. Nettle has long traditional use as a restorative, cleansing, and nutritive powerhouse herb. Also known for its ability to sting as a fresh plant, when dried or cooked the sting is completely deactivated.

Nettles are packed with nutrition; nutrients desperately lacking in many diets like calcium, magnesium, iron, carotenoids, vitamin K, and silicon. Eat your nettles. But what if you are not fond of greens. Mix them with chocolate and bake them in a muffin, yum!

Herbnettles
Apothecaryinfusion
BakingMuffin
Traditional Usenutritive

Servings	Prep Time
12muffins	40minutes

Cook Time

30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
12muffins	40minutes

Cook Time

30minutes

Ingredients

Nettle tea

1tbsp dried nettle leaf3 nettle leaf tea bags
8ounces boiling water

Muffins

1medium to large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
1tsp cinnamon
6ounces nettle tea
1 ½cup organic all-purpose flour
1cup organic granulated sugar
3/4cup unsweetened cacao powderI used Dagoba non-alkaline brand
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1 organic egg
1/4cup avocado oilwalnut oil may also be used
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For nettle tea

Prepare strong nettle tea. Combine dried nettle leaf with 8oz of hot water in French coffee press or other tea infusion vessel. Steep for 1 hour.

For Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease muffin tin.
In small saucepan combine apple cubes, cinnamon, and nettle tea. Bring to simmer over medium heat, decrease to low heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until apples are very soft and mushy. Stir to form chunky applesauce. Cool completely.
In small mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
When applesauce has cooled, in large mixing bowl whisk together egg, oil, and vanilla. Add applesauce and stir to combine well.
Add flour mixture and mix with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just moistened and barely combined. Do not over mix.
Fill muffin tins with batter using 1/3 cup measure so that batter fills about ¾ of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 1 minute and then remove muffins to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

*During the drying process, the sting of nettles is deactivated.

**Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make baked goods all the more nourishing. For these muffins use organic flour, organic sugar, organic eggs, organic apples, organic cocoa powder if available.

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dried nettle leaf
organic sugar

Calendula Corn Muffins

Dina Ranade — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 20:39:52 +0000

Calendula Corn Muffin

Calendula Infused

Calendula Infusing

Calendula and corn: partners in summer and sunshine. Perhaps it is the yellow color, perhaps the seasonal abundance. Finding balance of their flavors took some time though. Beautiful and fragrant, calendula flower petals also taste of bitter almost burnt flavored. I kept trying to cover this up, powdering them, adding sweet balance, and altering baking recipes, but it was always there and the corn muffins just tasted wrong. Then I tested a honey calendula syrup and finally, deliciousness.

Corn is also a fabric of herbal medicine; the part utilized the golden silk. Like calendula, it soothes inflammation and irritation, but has affinity for the urinary tract instead of skin or digestion. These muffins though are made with corn meal and so have nothing to do with that. Still, corn is considered sacred to most Native American cultures. The stories that I know involve the First Woman, mother of the people who laid down on the ground so that corn could grow from her body and feed all of her children. The genetically modified corn of today, used to make food additives like corn syrup and cornstarch seems a far cry from this beautiful belief. We must take back the purity of nourishment by using organic corn whenever possible. I sometimes have trouble finding organic products in my smaller town stores, but virtually, anything is possible. Sources like Thrive Market offer easy access and even Amazon, which is where I bought the organic gluten free corn meal baked in these muffins.

Calendula Corn Muffins

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Herbcalendula
Apothecaryinfusion, syrup
BakingMuffin
Traditional Usedigestion, gastric inflammation, skin irritations

Servings	Prep Time
18muffins	1:45hours

Cook Time

30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
18muffins	1:45hours

Cook Time

30minutes

Ingredients

Calendula honey syrup

3-4TBS dried calendula petals(for me this weighed 5 grams)
1 ½cups boiling water
½cup organic honey

Muffins

1 ½cups organic yellow cornmealnot stone ground
1cup organic oat flour
½cup organic granulated sugar
1 ½tsp baking powder
½tsp baking soda
½tsp salt
2 eggs
1cup buttermilk
1cup calendula honey syrup
4TBS organic unsalted buttermelt, cool to room temperature, & stir

Instructions

For calendula honey syrup

Combine calendula petals and hot water in glass jar or French coffee press. Infuse for 1 hour.
Strain and measure 6 oz of infused calendula tea, reserving remaining liquid. Place in small saucepan and bring to gentle simmer over medium low heat.
Cover with lid slightly ajar, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until reduced to approximately ½ cup of concentrated tea. Cool for 10 minutes.
Using glass measuring cup, measure ½ cup honey, pour in warm calendula tea to measure 1 cup and mix to dissolve honey in tea. It is ok to add some of reserved tea if there is not enough of the concentrated tea. Cool to room temperature prior to adding to muffins. Syrup can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to bake muffins.

For Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Arrange 18 foil-lined muffin liners on large cookie sheet. Prepare calendula honey and cool to room temperature.
Sift cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into large mixing bowl.
In medium sized bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Add calendula honey syrup, buttermilk, and melted, cooled butter. Whisk until combined.
Pour into dry ingredients and mix gently with wooden spoon just to moisten and combine. With a 1/3 cup measure, fill muffin liners with batter.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Using organic ingredients in your baked goods makes them all the more nourishing. For these muffins, use organic butter, sugar, flour, cornmeal, eggs and honey if available.

muffin – The Herbal Bake Shoppe

Nettle Chocolate Muffins

Shop this post: dried nettle leaf organic sugar

Calendula Corn Muffins

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dried nettle leaf
organic sugar