I asked Jordan what I should fix for breakfast on Sunday morning. I got his usual reply of “I don’t know”, so I suggested chocolate chip bran muffins. To which Jordan replied, “Why can’t we ever have regular muffins?”. He does not share my love for bran muffins unfortunately ;). So we compromised and I made these double chocolate espresso muffins. They’re not exactly health food but they won’t completely blow your diet either. They have whole wheat flour and only a small amount of sugar, but their “healthy” downfall is definitely the chocolate chips =). If you want to make them healthier, feel free to decrease the amount of chocolate chips as they contribute a large portion of the fat and calories for each muffin. However, my goal was more of a moderation muffin so 1/2 cup was just the right amount of chocolate chips for me. I used mini chocolate chips so the chocolate would be more evenly distributed but regular chocolate chips would work too. These muffins turned out even better than I expected! They’re moist and have a very tender crumb – almost like a cupcake – with a rich, chocolate flavor. They’ll remind you of a bakery style muffin. If you’re not a coffee fan, you could leave the espresso powder out but as I’ve said before, you won’t really taste coffee per se, it just intensifies the chocolate flavor. These were some of the best muffins that I’ve made in a while. Enjoy!
{Healthier, Whole Wheat} Double Chocolate Espresso Muffins
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp espresso powder (or instant coffee)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
1 egg
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips*
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper liners.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in bowl and whisk to combine.
3. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the egg, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and divide batter among 6 muffin cups.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 muffins.
Nutritional Info (per muffin): 204 calories; 8.2 g fat; 32.1 g carbohydrates; 3.3 g fiber; 5.8 g protein.
