"Healthy" Whole Wheat Chocolate Muffins (dairy free if you want, vegetable oil free, white sugar free, & soy free)

Happy St. Patricks Day! I have been pinched three times so far today. Yes due to the little babies growing I don't have a green shirt I can wear. I was thinking though... maybe if you don't have a green shirt or outfit you can be green in what you eat. Green as in healthy :)

Speaking of being being pregnant, I have been eating a bit healthier - yesterday's fries at Red Robin don't count right? Good ;) These delicious muffins with no white sugar, no brown sugar, no vegetable oil, no butter completely fit into my goal of healthier meals and snacks. Seems like I am wanting a snack every 3 hours which is a new thing to me. I am not a snacker. I was not snacker I should say. Have a chocolate snack with me! Your body will thank you. Due to eliminating caffeine I had to sadly eliminate the espresso powder from my muffins, but I suggest leaving it in - to really bring out the chocolate flavor. Trust me. Every time I make chocolate cake I use espresso powder. I haven't had great luck finding in stores so buying it online is usually easier and preferred. 

The 12 muffin recipe takes only about 30-45 minutes to create. 

Author of the recipe: She Bakes Here 

Note: You'll need a food processor or blender for this recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp espresso powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 ripe avocado pitted, and peeled

2/3 cup real 100% maple syrup

3/4 cup milk or almond milk (I used cows milk because thats what I had)

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (on stove or microwave)

1 tsp pure extract

1/2-3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

 (I used soy-free, nut free, milk free, semi-sweet mini choc chips brand Enjoy Life) but regular choc chips work too... dark chocolate chips are awesome! 
(I have done this recipe a few times)

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Line your muffin pans with liners and use cooking spray if you want - I did. I have had too many things stick. 

3. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, with a mixer, or just a large spoon

4. Use a blender or food processor to blend the wet ingredients until its smooth like a sauce

5. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

6. Scoop (the batter is thick) a couple scoops into each muffin liner. 

7. Bake for 17-20 minutes. The tops will be cracked. Some turbinado sugar would a be a cute little addition (before baking) and would make the cracks look original.  

8. Let the muffins cool 12-15 minutes before serving. They crumble less when they are slightly cooled. 

Enjoy this great breakfast - make it now and have easy snacks and meals for the rest of the week... Happy green holiday! Be green and healthy and don't get pinched. 

Stephanie

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins

I think I am in love. These muffins are amazing. They are light, delicious, easy to make, freezable, with a beautiful golden crunchy top (thanks to some turbinado sugar). If you haven't ever heard of this delectable sugar let me take a moment to introduce you. It will change your life. A small sprinkle takes mundane things like oatmeal, muffins, cookies, and turns them into magic. No it's not fake sugar a sugar substitute. No it's not low fat. It's just fun. Because turbinado sugar is made up of crystallizing sugar cane juice that have been spun in turbines (thus the name turbin - ado), the sugar looks like tiny crystals, giving a dynamite crunch and sparkle to anything it lands on. The best time to add this to muffins or cookies is right before you put them into the oven. I haven't experimented with adding into things in the place of white or regular brown sugar, but that seems like a logical next step.... while I think about that I think I shall munch on another one of these amazingly healthy & tasty muffins. 

Did I mention we had a muffin crisis the first time I made these? We accidentally ate a whole batch in 2 days. We couldn't keep our hands off of them! Healthy eating in 2014? Not a problem. Moderation and portion control meh we'll get to that next year. 

Whole wheat Pumpkin Chip Oat Muffins

original recipe from: jensfavoritecookies.com

prep + baking time: 25-30 minutes

batch easily doubled

Ingredients
6 T butter unsalted organic, softened
1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened 
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp vital wheat gluton
3/4 cup heaping pumpkin
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup quick oats
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup chocolate chips

5 Easy Steps:

1. Cream the butter, sugar, and pumpkin over medium speed with a mixer

2. Add in everything else except choc chips.

3. Once everything else is fully mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

4.Divide the very thick batter evenly among 12 muffin lined cups. I found it best to lightly spray the muffin cups but I may be just paranoid about things sticking. 

5. Bake these wonderful things at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool a bit before eating and the complements start to flow. No one will even guess they are "healthy".