Salted Caramel Filled Chocolate Muffins

 Chocolatey, fluffy muffins filled with silky smooth salted caramel?!?! Ok, these are a huge winner over here! Since the muffins aren't overly sweet, the tasty salted caramel filling is a perfect edition to this treat. Choose gluten-free oat flour for a completely gluten-free recipe. 

Ingredients

Muffins

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 large egg

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 scoop ARO chocolate protein powder

1/3 cup oat flour

½ cup almond meal flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup xylitol

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Salted Caramel Filling

½ cup medjool dates (about 6), pitted

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Optional Topping: mini chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Add the remainder of muffin ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

3. Evenly divide muffin batter among 8 cupcake liners.

4. Bake in the oven for 22-26 minutes, or until center is cooked. Let cool.

5. To make the salted caramel, combine all filling ingredients in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Pour filling ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

7. When muffins are cooled, remove center of each muffin and fill with salted caramel filling. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 8 servings

1 serving is 1 muffin with filling

Macros for 1 serving

232 calories, 7.2g protein, 33.6g carbs, 12.4g fat, 11.6g sugar, 4.6g fiber