It was this summer that I tried a beet for the first time. There’s something about the deep magenta color and crazy, bushy leaves that are intimidating. And yet, when I saw these stunning veggies pop up all over my local farmer’s market, I bit the bullet and dug right in.
I asked the farmer how he recommended eating beets and he responded with, “I love them raw…they’re like summer’s candy!” Well, he had my attention. I went straight home and peeled a beet to taste test, while turning both of my hands a fun shade of pink. Temporary, of course.
Summer’s candy indeed. Beets are delicious! Don’t let them scary you. Root vegetables pack a lot of nutritional punch…and flavor. And while I would’ve never thought to find them in a muffin, it works brilliantly.
Beets are sweet, and crisp. They help give these muffins a deep, dark color…with the help of ripe bing cherries and…chocolate. When Mr. Prevention asked what “kind” of muffins these were, I hesitated to share the recipe title. I responded with, “Chocolate Beet Cherry Muffins…but they taste like chocolate!”
It was at that point I realized that I hadn’t yet calculated the nutrition facts for this recipe. Though, I feared what I would find…they were that good. As it ends up, no harm done. Coming in at 158 calories a piece, I choose these to start my morning!
Chocolate Beet Cherry Muffins adapted from Pinch My Salt, as seen on Our Share of the Harvest
2-3 medium beets (to yield 1/2 cup beet puree)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips or other semi-sweet chocolate, divided
1/2 cup chopped bing cherries
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Wrap beets in foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserts easily. When cool enough to handle, remove foil cut/peel off beet skins. Puree beets in a food processor and measure out 1/2 cup. Set aside.
Leave oven at 375 degrees F and grease your muffin tin or distribute liners. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Toss 1/4 cup chocolate chips and cherries in flour mixture. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pot, melt the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and butter, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, brown sugar, beet puree, sour cream and vanilla. Add in slightly cooled chocolate-butter mixture and stir to combine. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add batter to muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake in 375 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick insert comes out clean. Yield: 10 muffins.
Nutrition Information (per muffin): 158 calories; 6.3 g. fat; 24 mg. cholesterol; 185 mg. sodium; 24.0 g. carbohydrate; 1.9 g. fiber; 3.5 g. protein
Result: These are in my top 3 favorite muffins…hands down. They are rich in vitamins and antioxidants from chocolate 
Better yet, the nutrition stats are very respectable. Any breakfast that starts off with chocolate for about 150 calories is certainly a keeper! If I had to name this recipe, I would say Black Forest Muffins – chocolate & cherry, need I say more? Mr. P gives a big thumbs up, as well! Enjoy!
Thank you for all your kind comments on Mr. Prevention’s dinner post yesterday. I think he was beyond flattered. I’m glad so many of you found the spelling of “koos koos” to be rather cute. I tend to agree When I posted on my Facebook page Tuesday night that Mr. Prevention would be posting, there were so many “likes”! If I didn’t receive all of your amazing comments each day, I would’ve been rather jealous of Mr. P’s fan base! I told him that night in bed, “I’ve been blogging religiously for over 2 years and on your second post you’re drawing in the masses!”
As Mr. P pointed out in his post, my menu choices would be quite different if I had only my mouth to feed. Since many of you are feeding others as well, I think it’s best to give both of our reviews of recipes, and to prepare foods that most would enjoy. Though, I should note…we’re both pretty easy to please in the food department…obviously.
On the workout front, I barely made it through a 3-mile run last night. I was ready to give up after 0.6 miles. I looked down at my Garmin and thought, “Seriously?!” Then, in true dietitian fashion, I started to think about what I had to eat/drink throughout the day. I came to the conclusion that 1 cup of water (following 3 cups of coffee) is not sufficient hydration! (Duh). I am hopeful that is the reason the run was so difficult because I’m running a nighttime 5K tonight with my business partner…should be fun! 
Question: Have you ever tried a beet?
Have a great day!
Confession: I have never bought beets! I’ve always been a little intimidated too. Thanks for sharing this recipe . .. I’m definitely going to give them a try now! (PS: I passed the RD exam last week, so my blogging hiatus is over!!!!!!)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you!
Oh Nicole these sound amazing! I have some frozen shredded beets in my freezer that need to be turned into these. I see some weekend baking happening
Beets were pretty much the only veggie I couldn’t stand growing up. I would watch my mom eat bowl after bowl of pickled beets and never understood how she could eat them… Not until my 30s did I appreciate them, and now I absolutely love them, especially roasted.
Your muffins sound great!!!
I’ve made a chocolate beet cake before but I LOVE the sound of adding cherries!! And that these have a great nutritional profile.
Well these would go great with the carrot chocolate chip cookies I made yesterday
Love sneaking in veggies!
Yum! I do like beets, but have only had them on salads. I definitely need to venture out a bit.
Your photos are beautiful! And aren’t the nutrition facts surprising? They are so moist and delicious and, well, chocolatey, it’s hard to believe. Loved reading your take on them
Lindsey, I loved them! Only one left
The leftover beets are for the beet hummus you posted that I’m planning on making tomorrow – can’t wait!
Looks yummy! Ugh – I’ve never tried a fresh beet but it’s on my list of things to try. I need to get my hands on one soon!
I cant believe you only just tried beets. They’ve been one of my all time favorites since I was little. I would get so excited when my mom would make beets for dinner. I HAVE to make these muffins, they sound amazing.
Me either! I’ve so been missing out. These were a bit more time consuming than “mix the wet…mix the dry…then mix together” but nothing crazy and soooo worth the extra 15 minutes!
I hate beets. Sorry.
It`s a problem because I really, really want to like them. They LOOK so good. And they sound so good in dishes and recipes. I keep trying and trying them but every time I do I still hate them. They taste like dirt. I just can`t get over that.
I’m hoping the farmers market has beets this week. I added cherries to the grocery list.
I love muffins and I agree – anything with chocolate is amazing!
To be honest, I can’t stand beets unless in very small doses, or disguised into something like these lovely muffins. Have you ever tried a Guatemalan enchilada? It’s a cabbage/beet salad with ground meat on top of a tostada with lettuce and cheese. It’s SO good.
Googling now…that…sounds…AMAZING!
I remember trying beets as a child…my mom would eat them. I was not a fan, but I swear, I think they came from a can?! I’m sure fresh is a different story, and I have more mature taste buds now. Not by much, but anyway…these muffins sound really good! I just took double chocolate zucchini cookies out of the oven…so I guess I’ll hold off on these at least for a little while (however, I have cherries just waiting for me!)
I’m not a huge beet fan but this recipe intrigues me.
I confess….I am too scared to try one!
This is the THIRD dessert recipe I’ve seen this week that includes beets. I think this is a sign I need to try one of them!
These are beautiful and look delicious! I like beets a lot but never really venture out with them. I’ll have to try this one!
Have never tried a beet in a muffin before, but now I’m curious!
I love the traditional roasted beet salad way to eat them. Nom, nom!
Love the idea of baking with beets! If you’re into the raw beet idea, try a beet slaw (I have one on my blog, actually.)