Chocolate Muffins

If you've been following my posts about the baby naming we hosted for our little peanut, you'll know I found a new chocolate muffin recipe to try out on my guests.   These muffins really could pass for dessert, but I figured for a special event, having some decadent choices to go with all of the savory bagel accompaniments and other dishes I served wasn't a bad thing.  And as it turns out, these muffins are fairly equivalent nutrition-wise to my other muffins, but the addition of chocolate chips fooled everyone into thinking they were indulging while eating a whole grain muffin with not a ton of sugar.

My only complaint about this recipe is that the muffins turn out a little crumbly (even though they are also moist and rich!).  I had a few casualties that fell apart as I was taking them out of the muffin cups, but we sure did enjoy the scraps, and until I find a way to help these hold together a little better (suggestions welcome!!), I am thrilled to add a recipe to my muffin collection that satisfies a serious chocolate craving without any guilt!

Chocolate Muffins
adapted from Steph Chows

Dry Ingedients

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a mini-muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  In a separate larger bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.  Add dry mixture to wet ingredients, stirring to combine, and then gently mix in chocolate chips.

Divide batter into 24 mini-muffin cups, and bake for about 16 minutes (20 minutes for standard muffins) until tops are firm to touch.  Let cool in tin before gently removing.

Makes 24 small mini-muffins