So I had an interesting conversation the other day. A writer from The Globe and Mail, a national Canadian newspaper, came across my blog when searching for information about American Girl Scout cookies. It seems that my blog post about Homemade Thin Mints caught his eye. In that post, I was lamenting the difference between the vast array of delicious Girl Scout Cookies and the boring sandwich cookies I had to peddle as a Canadian Girl Guide. Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way. He decided to write a short piece on the matter after his wife and her friends were discussing the very same thing. So he wanted to interview me for the article as someone who has lived on both sides of the border and experienced both kinds of cookies. I suppose you could call me something of an expert.
It really was a revelation to move to the US and discover just how excited everyone got for Girl Scout cookie season. The Girl Guides of Canada only offer a single box of cookies that contain both vanilla and chocolate cream sandwich cookies. And as much as I love my homeland, I have to say that the cookies really aren’t very good. I don’t know anyone who gets very excited for cookie season in Canada…it’s more of an obligation to buy a few boxes from your neighbourhood Girl Guide than anything else. I can’t imagine that it’s all that successful a fund-raising scheme. Whereas here in the US, everyone has their favourite type of Girl Scout Cookie and I know people who buy boxes upon boxes and store them in the freezer, just to make them last throughout the year. Why such a huge difference between two parts of what is essentially the same organization? As my American-bred husband says, it’s just because the US does it better. And as much as I am fiercely loyal to Canada, in this case, I have to agree with him.
So what does any of this have to do with these muffins? It doesn’t at all, I just thought it was an interesting story and I wanted to tell you! I don’t know when the article is going to come out, but if you are in Canada and you come across fit, clip it out and send it to me. I’d love to see it.
As to the muffins, I saw something similar one day on A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis. If you are not familiar with his blog, then you need to be. Dennis is truly a talented chef, and he is the king of Foodbuzz. He was the first person to ever comment on my blog that wasn’t a friend or a family member. He makes it a point to welcome everyone to the foodblogging community. He’s everywhere all at once and I can’t figure out how he maintains his full-time job and his blog too! The instant I saw his muffins, I wanted to make a low carb, gluten free version.
The Results: Serious yumminess. That’s the only way to describe this cross between a chocolate muffin and cheesecake. The muffin itself is nice and cakey, but not overly sweet. And then to have the creamy vanilla flavoured middle, it’s a great treat for breakfast. These ones were a hit with the whole family, including the picky little 2 year old. I turned my back on a half-eaten one the other morning, and came back to discover that she’d climbed up on the chair and finished it off for me. Oh well, at least I can say it’s good for her!
Oh, and my apologies that the recipe makes 14 muffins. Unfortunately, the cream cheese middle takes up a bit of room and I had too much muffin batter for 12!
Black and White Muffins
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
2 tbsp whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
16 drops stevia extract
Muffins:
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup flax seed meal (or additional almond flour)
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup chocolate whey protein powder (can use plain as well)
2 tsp instant coffee (to boost chocolate flavour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
20 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup almond milk
Preheat oven to 325F and line 14 muffin tins with paper liners.
For the filling, beat cream cheese and powdered erythritol in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in cream, vanilla extract and stevia extract until combined. Set aside.
For the muffins, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, flax seed meal, erythritol, protein powder, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat yogurt until smooth. Beat in eggs and stevia until fully combined. Beat in almond flour mixture, along with butter and almond milk, until well mixed.
Divide batter among prepared muffin tins. Using the back of a spoon or your fingers, make a well in the center of each muffin. Divide cream cheese filling among muffins and smooth the top.
Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until both filling and muffin are set. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.
Makes 14. Each muffin has a total of 7.6 g of carbs and 3.1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.5 g.
Laura says
January 18, 2012 at 5:10 pmLooks like we are both posting muffins with cream cheese filling today. These look yummy!
Lauren @ KeepItSweet says
January 18, 2012 at 5:16 pmThat really is a sad selection of girl scout cookies! I didn't know you had so few options in Canada. Good thing you can make your own delicious treats like these muffins!
sclark32 says
January 18, 2012 at 5:25 pmOh my heavens!! You have no idea how badly I want one of these right now!! I've never had a cream cheese filled muffin before 🙁 This is like torture!
[email protected] says
January 18, 2012 at 5:51 pmThese look great Carolyn! Cheesecake muffins are always so delicious that's it's easy to eat too many of them. At least with these that wouldn't be as bad of a thing 😀
Amalia says
January 18, 2012 at 6:08 pmCongratulations on the article, that's awesome! These look so delicious, I love that it's low carb and gluten free, you don't find many desserts that fit that description and look this amazing! Great recipe 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Kelly says
January 18, 2012 at 6:24 pmOoo I love these muffins! They look so cute and sound so delicious! 🙂
Kiri W says
January 18, 2012 at 6:50 pmOh man, these look so, so good. I kind of want a pudding filling. Yum. Hard to believe these are low-carb! 🙂 Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
KatrinasKitchen says
January 18, 2012 at 7:29 pmYou are an expert!! 😉 And these muffins…wow.
Natasha says
January 18, 2012 at 7:57 pmI miss the old Mr Christie sandwich cookies, the ones they sell now by anoither maker aren't as good. A lot of people around here (New Brunswick) wait all year for the mint thins at Christmas, i know a few people who freeze them for all year! But the sandwich cookies, people don;t seem to like so much anymore.
These muffins look great! Anything low carb and this delicious looking must be made!! 🙂
Erin says
January 18, 2012 at 10:14 pmCongrats on the interview, that sounds great! I saw those muffins from Dennis as well, and I have been trying to hold off making them. I love your low car version – gorgeous!
Emily @ Life on Food says
January 19, 2012 at 12:25 amWhen I started reading my exact thoughts were "there is not black and white cookie". Great story, and great muffin recipe even if they have nothing to do with each other.
Alison Lewis says
January 19, 2012 at 12:57 amThose sound amazing!
happywhennothungry says
January 19, 2012 at 1:46 amThese look delicious! Love the cream cheese filling.
comowater.com says
January 19, 2012 at 2:03 amChocolate muffin + cheesecake?!?!?! I'm SOLD! And congrats on your interview! Sounds like you were able to share your unique perspective! 😀
Jen says
January 19, 2012 at 2:14 amI was the troop cookie mom for 2 years when my daughter was younger and I kind of hope to never see a box of GS cookies ever again!!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
January 19, 2012 at 2:33 amHow funny, i did not know that about Canadian Girl Scout Cookies. Now I want to know what they taste like so I can compare.
Terra says
January 19, 2012 at 3:03 amUMMMMM….yes please! Love the cream cheese filling in the center, I bet each bite is a happy bite:-) Hugs, Terra
Lora @cakeduchess says
January 19, 2012 at 3:19 amDennis is awesome and there is some serious yumminess happening here. I'll take 2 for breakfast tomorrow, please;)
Maureen says
January 19, 2012 at 6:54 amwow heaps of ingredients I've never heard about before but these muffins look great and I agree with you completely about Chef Dennis!
I moved from the states to Australia and the Girl Guides here have one box of crappy cookies (called biscuits) here. They have no idea what they're missing!
lisamichele says
January 19, 2012 at 8:00 amThese look amazing, Carolyn! I love a cheesecake stuffed muffin and will always choose it over one that isn't…eating healthy or not. BTW, had the same issue with my pumpkin cheese muffins. Stuff with cheesecake = more muffins = not a problem at all 😉
Roxana GreenGirl says
January 19, 2012 at 12:01 pmI kinda learned my lesson not to leave almost anything out. My 2 year climbs all over the place. Now she discovered she can open the fridge. .. sigh…
These muffins look amazing! My all time favorite is chocolate cheesecake and these are simply irresistible!
Jeanette says
January 19, 2012 at 12:25 pmLove Chef Dennis and your low carb rendition of his recipe. My brother is pre-diabetic now so I shared your site with him – thanks for all you do!
RavieNomNoms says
January 19, 2012 at 3:51 pmoooo Carolyn! These look awesome! I remember being a Girl Scout and people getting SO excited whenever the cookie order form came around the neighborhood and then at my Dad's work. Your muffins look amazing and I wish I could snack on one right now!
Sandras easy cooking says
January 19, 2012 at 5:22 pmYou are right, it is interesting story ..Congrats on the article, it sound like an exciting news!
Those cupcakes look stunning…great job converting them to gluten free! You are our little gluten free genus!
Rachel says
January 19, 2012 at 7:02 pmI have been really craving cheesecakey things lately – love that this is a healthy version! Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
January 19, 2012 at 8:31 pmThese muffins are calling my name! Yum!
Yep, I think we've all been visited by Chef Dennis in those early days and it was so great to get a comment from a stranger!
Charlie says
January 20, 2012 at 3:03 amCream cheese and chocolate are so good together! Your muffins must look amazing! Yummm
Eftychia says
January 20, 2012 at 5:49 amThese cupcakes look delicious. I have something similar in starbucks! I like the fact that you used yogurt in the recipe.
alyceculinarythymes says
January 20, 2012 at 8:35 pmYumm!
Kim - Liv Life says
January 20, 2012 at 9:25 pmThese muffins look absolutely delicious, and they would have made a perfect snack for my Girl Scouts! I have to admit to being somewhat over the cookies after peddling them with my troop for 6 years, but an occasional Thin Mint really hits the spot!
acommunaltable says
January 21, 2012 at 12:33 amThese look seriously addictive – I can see why they were a big hit with your family!!!
chef Dennis says
January 23, 2012 at 1:33 pmThank you so much for making my muffins, yours look even better than mine! I have been giving serious thoughts to limiting my gluten intake, the more I think about it the more sense it makes, I may never be able to eliminate completely but it sure wouldn't hurt to cut it back as much as possible.
Thank you for so many delicious alternatives to gluten products!
kita says
January 30, 2012 at 1:51 pmWhy. whhhhy have I not made these yet? Everything about a chocolate muffin with a cream cheese center just seems so right. Congrats on your article and thanks for reminding me I need to try these!
jessica says
February 4, 2012 at 11:31 pmThank you for posting this recipe! I made it my first attempt of low carb gluten free baking and they are super yummy. How did you store them? Can I freeze them with the cream cheese center? I am afraid my family of 2 wont be able to eat them all before going bad…. I know, I can't imagine not finishing them before that 🙂
Lisa says
January 15, 2014 at 1:49 pmWhere do you buy the powdered E? And protein powders?
Thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
January 15, 2014 at 3:11 pmI mostly use Swerve now and you can purchase it directly from their website. If you use the code DREAM10, you will get 10% off your order. http://www.swervesweetener.com/103-1-1-29.html
Protein powders, I usually purchase on Amazon. I like Jarrow Brand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EQPGCC/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005EQPGCC&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20
Asli says
March 19, 2014 at 4:11 pmi love these muffins!! so good, the cheesecake part is heaven. but my chocolate muffin dough turned out way too dry. i had to put in lots more almond milk to make it pliable enough to fill into the muffin pan. did i miss something?
the muffin itself turned out a chewy, brownie type muffin which was really good anyway
Carolyn says
March 19, 2014 at 4:19 pmWhat brand of almond flour did you use?
Asli says
March 19, 2014 at 4:21 pmin germany it’s hard to find almond flour. i used unblanched, partially de-oiled flour. could it be that it sucked up all the moisture? now i ordered some blanched almond flour online. is that better?
Mj says
August 24, 2017 at 9:39 pmSame.
Liz says
July 6, 2014 at 5:15 pmJust taking these out of the oven now. I had jumbo muffin tins so I did that instead of the odd number of regular size. Look good and smell great! Can’t wait for them to cool enough to try!
Lynn says
April 29, 2015 at 7:31 pmThese look amazing thanks! As for the Canadian Girl Guide cookies (which I sold when I was in Brownies and Guides myself!). I have to say we love the vanilla sandwich cookies in my house– the problem is only1/2 a box is vanilla so you have to suffer through the other 1/2 of chocolate ones! Lol!
Debra says
May 13, 2015 at 12:35 pmJust wondering how powdered stevia or THM sweet blend would convert? I don’t have stevia drops. 🙂
Carolyn says
May 13, 2015 at 1:32 pmFor the muffins, in place of both the erythritol and stevia drops, you can use 2 tbsp Sweet Blend. For the filling, use the same amount. I don’t use a lot of powdered stevia so I am not sure about that.
Diana says
December 19, 2015 at 11:25 pmHi Carolyn!!!These do look great can we use something other than liquid stevia? Like granulated Swerve? How does the measurement change?
Carolyn says
December 20, 2015 at 9:16 amSure, you can use another 1/4 cup Swerve.
Nancy says
December 28, 2015 at 8:36 amHow much xanthan gum? I see it in the instruction list for the muffins, but no in the ingredient list. Thank you.
Carolyn says
December 28, 2015 at 10:57 amYou can leave it out. That must be an error.
Barb says
January 23, 2016 at 6:34 pmI don’t see xanthan gum in the list of ingredients, but it is in the directions. Just wondering…
Thank you…
Jen says
September 21, 2016 at 11:10 amThese reminded me of the chocolate cheesecake brownies my friend’s mum used to make for us when I was a kid about 30 years ago. So I tried to bake them and they are delicious! Very similar. I did put in 1.5 tsps of Xanthan Gum and they turned out fine. I also added chocolate chunks (100% cocoa).
Kathleen Polacik says
February 25, 2017 at 10:24 pmLove this recipe, thank you, was wondering if you have a replacement for the protein powder , I cannot have whey, thank you ?
Carolyn says
February 26, 2017 at 7:32 amI use this egg white protein when I don’t want to use whey… http://amzn.to/2myXsZi
RHONDA says
March 30, 2017 at 9:23 pmDo you know how well these freeze? I’m the only one in the house that will eat them.
Carolyn says
March 30, 2017 at 10:19 pmThey should freeze fine.
Robin says
August 23, 2017 at 1:55 pmThese were delicious. I’m diabetic controlling it with exercise and diet. I took my glucose before having one and one hour after. Before my glucose was 99, 1 hour after it was 98. It didn’t affect my sugar at all.
Carolyn says
August 23, 2017 at 3:59 pmNice! I love hearing that.
Sonja says
August 24, 2017 at 2:40 pmI was wondering about the stevia drops – i have stevia extract, is that the same thing? Very excited to make these muffins!
Carolyn says
August 25, 2017 at 8:21 amThe same thing…I use the liquid extract.
Tracy says
August 26, 2017 at 8:23 amGrew up in the 70’s my favorite Girl Scout cookies were the Scot Teas, thin crispy dusted with granular sugar, and the sandwich cookies, lol. Now it’s the Thin Mints, Samoas and Shortbread. Love your recipes, can’t wait to try the muffins. Sounds like a winner! Thank You!
Jodie Reimink says
September 19, 2018 at 2:09 pmHello-
in the recipe it doesn’t list Xanthum Gum, but it is listed in the directions. How much should I add? (I added 1 t. and they came out great, but wasn’t sure of the purpose of it). Thank you!
Carolyn says
September 21, 2018 at 8:44 amThis recipe is an older one and I’ve discovered it doesn’t really need the xanthan anymore.