Sugar of the Earth

Beets are a polarizing food: most people either love their deep, earthy sweetness or else reject them outright, claiming that they “taste like dirt.” I am in the former camp, savoring every hue of beetroot in almost every preparation ranging from salty to sweet to sour. And I have slowly come to accept that no umeboshi vinegar will redeem beets for those who taste only dirt—my husband included.

However, beetroots appear frequently in our fall and winter farmshare, and they are also rather inconveniently attached to the beet greens that husband actually enjoys. Since I can eat only so many beets on my own, I am determined to find ways for the entire family to enjoy them. I don’t generally subscribe to the hide-the-vegetables school of cooking; how would my kids ever learn that they like the taste of cauliflower if I am always pureeing it to sneak into the macaroni and cheese? But sometimes the only way a food can work is in a supporting role.

With their natural sweetness tempered by bitter mushroom overtones, beets are a fitting complement for dark chocolate. Pureed beets add moisture as well as flavor to baked goods, and they offer a nice health boost besides. Muffins—which can be packed directly from the freezer and defrost in time for a midmorning snack—seemed like an excellent way to make the most of this intersection of flavor, nutrition, convenience...and a little bit of devious vegetable-hiding.

As with many foods, I was not content with merely looking up a recipe for chocolate-beet muffins. I wanted something that could stand up to a dab of mascarpone or accompany a bowl of yogurt, pairing sour and sweet without seeming cloying. Almost every recipe I saw looked too sweet, and I feared a result that would taste like little more than unfrosted chocolate cupcakes. But baking requires such precision that merely cutting back on the sugar could have disastrous results on the final texture. Eventually I settled on combining the sugar reduction with a chocolate substitution. I did not want to fuss with melting chocolate anyway—I always seem to lose too much while transferring it from one bowl to another—and found I could tone down the sweetness just enough by omitting the additional sugar when swapping in cocoa powder and oil for bittersweet chocolate.

My current recipe includes chopped walnuts to keep the texture interesting and uses buttermilk or yogurt for some tang. Tossing in chocolate chips edges these muffins into dessert territory, but I do recommend including them for texture if you plan to go nut-free.

Do not be daunted by the total time required; most of it is spent waiting for the beets to roast and then cool. If you can lay your hands on a couple pounds of beets, go ahead and roast them all, puree them and freeze one-cup portions in bags or small containers for later use. On the other hand, if you prepare just enough beet puree for this recipe, you can save yourself a dirty bowl and whisk by mixing all the wet ingredients right in the blender jar.

While the flavor here is notably more complex than that of an average chocolate muffin, I suspect most people would find it difficult to name the secret ingredient. The beets lend the batter a shocking, brilliant magenta hue that fades with baking. If you squint you may notice a faint reddish cast to the finished muffins, but overall they just look and smell like chocolate.

The ultimate result is a rich treat that is healthy enough to pair with a morning cup of coffee but tasty enough to pass for dessert. Whether you tell anyone that they are also eating their vegetables is entirely up to you.

Chocolate Beet Muffins
Adapted from Pinch My Salt 
Yield: 12 muffins
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours (includes roasting and cooling time for beets)

• 3-4 medium beets (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup buttermilk, or 1/3 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pan
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, plus more for roasting beets
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. First make beet puree: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim greens from beets, leaving about one inch of stem attached; gently scrub beets to remove loose dirt. Place whole beets in a small baking pan and toss lightly with just enough olive oil to coat. Cover the pan tightly with a layer of aluminum foil and roast in the oven until beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from oven, uncover and let rest until beets are cool enough to handle, at least 20 minutes. Slip off the skins and remaining stems using your fingertips. (Wear gloves to avoid staining your skin.) Chop beets into large chunks and puree in a blender until smooth. You should have about 1 cup beet puree.

2. Maintain oven temperature at 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cup liners. In a 3-quart or larger mixing bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

3. Add eggs, buttermilk, sugar, butter, oil and vanilla to blender jar with beet puree and blend until thoroughly combined. (Alternatively, you may mix these ingredients by hand in a medium bowl.)

4. Pour the beet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until just combined; do not overmix. Batter will be somewhat lumpy. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips with a few quick strokes.

5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling cups almost to the top. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with only crumbs attached.

Notes: Beet puree may be frozen for later use; defrost fully before proceeding. Muffin recipe may be doubled to yield 24 muffins or 16 jumbo muffins. For jumbo muffins, increase baking time by about 5 minute and be sure to grease top surface of muffin pans as well as the cups.