Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've been baking a lot lately and have been accused of trying to make everybody pack on the pounds. So I decided to opt for a healthy recipe. Now, don't get me wrong. I am a strong believer in moderation, meaning that if you're gonna indulge, then indulge in your favourite junk food...and if you're gonna eat healthy then eat healthy. However, my family has been trying to do both at the same time. So, being a good sport, I am trying to see what recipes I can come up with that will taste close to the unhealthy version of whatever desserts they like to eat. Let me tell you, I have been through my fair share of fails with these. But, I have come across one that I think is a keeper. Double chocolate chip muffins.

Who doesn't love double chocolate chip muffins. I mean the whole thing basically tastes like chocolate. It's moist, it's rich, soft and delicious.

They're normally also about 400 calories per muffin. But with my modifications, these muffins are around 120 calories, have no saturated fat (or any fat at all) and hardly any sugar.

I'm not kidding, these muffins are sooo good for something without any fats and reduced sugar. The least healthy thing in here are the chocolate chips. But besides that, these muffins are amazing.

You're wondering what did I use if there isn't any butter or oil. I used applesauce and greek yogurt. That's the secret to making your muffins so moist and soft. A lot of the sweetness comes from the applesauce which allowed me to reduce the amount of sugar I used, making these extra healthy.

Let's get right into the recipe.

1. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and set it aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I also add my chocolate chips to the dry mix after sifting.

2. Place sugar, honey, applesauce and greek yogurt into a mixing bowl.

This is what makes the muffins so moist and tender. Mix them well using a whisk.

3. Add an beaten egg, vanilla and two spoons of melted chocolate.

I always crack my eggs in a separate bowl to ensure no egg shells get into the batter. I then add the vanilla directly to the eggs to get rid of any raw egg taste that may show up when your baked goods have finished cooking. You don't have to add the melted chocolate. I did the first time making these thinking that the recipe was not going to work out. And I stopped adding it thereafter because it made no difference to the final product.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

It is just combined when you have folded in your dry ingredients using a spatula, have been mixing for only a small amount of time, and there are no more spots of flour or clumps. Your batter should be very thick like the picture below.

5. Grease a muffin tin with butter, oil or cooking spray and spoon the batter into the tin.

I know the picture shows muffin liners. But DO NOT USE MUFFIN LINERS. More than half of your batter will be wasted. It sticks really badly to the paper muffins liners because it's such a tender end product. I added more chocolate chips to the tops.

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Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup applesauce

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 egg

• 3/4 cup greek yogurt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

2. In the bowl with a hand/stand mixer, mix together the appleasauce, sugar, honey and greek yogurt.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla.

4. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined then mix in the chocolate chips.

5. Place batter in greased muffin tins. Do not use muffin liners or they will stick.

6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes on the convection setting and then at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

If you tried this recipe, or have a question, let me know in the comments below!