These easy Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins are made using oatmeal, egg whites, yogurt and applesauce. They’re incredibly moist, lightly sweet, full of chocolate flavor and perfect for breakfast, snacks or even dessert!
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I’m not really a “healthy recipe” person. I mean, I cook mostly from scratch, try to avoid GMO’s and prepared foods, but that’s about it.
Years ago, in a season where I was attempting to lose a bit of weight, I came across this recipe on a now-defunct blog. It looked so good and I thought it would be perfect for satisfying my chocolate cravings without making me feel a lot of guilt.
Even though the texture is a bit different than typical muffins, both the kids and I ended up loving them!
Why I love this Healthy Double Chocolate Muffin Recipe
- Moist. I hate dry muffins and thanks to the yogurt and applesauce, these are anything but dry!
- Easy to Make. Made in one bowl- well technically, a blender or food processor- and ready in 30 minutes!
- Under 200 Calories. They are actually around 150 calories, which is relatively low for a dessert.
- Easily Made Gluten Free– We have various friends and family that are gluten intolerant and I’m always looking for recipes to make that they can enjoy.
- Kid-Friendly. Chocolate + chocolate chips in a muffin form? Need I say more?
- Versatile. Great for on-the-go breakfasts, snacks, lunchbox addition or even dessert.
I don’t know about you, but at this stage of life, wholesome food that is delicious and easy to make is a complete no-brainer for me!
Watch Video: Learn How to Make This Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Muffin Ingredients
- Quick Oatmeal. Only quick oats should be used. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, just be sure to choose a gluten-free brand of oatmeal.
- Egg Whites. This recipe was tested using large eggs.
- Cocoa Powder. I used regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I would not recommend using dark cocoa powder as I don’t think the recipe will be sweet enough to compensate.
- Applesauce. Both sweetened or unsweetened will work.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Yogurt. I’ve made this using plain yogurt, vanilla yogurt and Greek yogurt. They all work well!
- Cream of tartar.
- Baking soda.
- Baking powder.
- Salt. Regular table salt works just fine, but I love the health benefits of Himalayan Pink Salt!
- Hot Water.
- Sugar. I did not test this with any sugar substitutes, but anything that is substituted cup for cup should be okay to use.
- Chocolate Chips. I think semi-sweet chocolate chips balance out the flavor of these muffins the best. However, dark chocolate chips will also work. And feel free to use mini chips instead of regular sized ones!
How to Make Healthy Chocolate Muffins with Chocolate Chips
STEP 1: Prep your muffin tins by spraying them with a nonstick spray or putting in paper liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
STEP 2: Combine all of the ingredients with the exception of the chocolate chips in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and the oats are ground.
STEP 3: Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full.
STEP 4: Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top of the batter in each muffin cup if you are using the full cup.
STEP 5: Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the oven and sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on each one.
STEP 6: Continue baking for another 2-3 minutes. At this point when you insert a toothpick, it should come out clean.
Can I Use Flour Instead of Oats?
While I have not tested this recipe using flour, I think it might work if you used oat flour.
I would not recommend substituting all-purpose flour because it does have gluten while the oats do not. When you are using flour containing gluten, you have to adjust the rest of the wet and dry ingredients in the recipe for it to come out the right consistency.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Muffins
Because these chocolate muffins are so moist, they may not keep as long as other muffin recipes. I recommend if you aren’t going to eat them immediately to store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They also freeze really well.
To freeze, allow the muffins to cool completely. Then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Chocolate muffins will stay fresh for about 2 months when frozen properly.
To reheat, you can let them thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. If you are running low on time you can microwave them straight out of the freezer for a few minutes.
More Delicious Chocolate Recipes:
- Best Ever Chocolate Cake (no eggs, no butter!)
- Decadent Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
- Blonde Brownies- the best chocolate chip brownie!
- 5 Minute Perfectly Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups quick oatmeal
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup applesauce (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup yogurt (plain, vanilla or Greek)
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup hot water
- scant 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
- Pour into prepared muffin pans, filling each cup about ¾ full. If using 1 cup of chocolate chips, go ahead and sprinkle a few on top of each unbaked muffin. (see note below)
- Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
- Return muffins to oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Rhonda
I’m not watching gluten but I do like easy yummy recipes that use basic ingredients. I plan to bake these soon. Thank you for passing on the recipe.
ThriftyFrugalMom
You’re welcome, Rhonda! We aren’t gluten free eaters either, but even so, we do enjoy these simple muffins. I hope you all do too! 🙂
Sara
These look good and I like that they are gluten free! Is the oatmeal called for in the recipe just raw oats or are you actually talking about cooked oats? Thanks.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Because they are flourless, the texture is definitely a tad different than your typical baked good, but my family and I all still think they are quite good! And to answer your question, yes, just dry, quick oats. I’ll update the post to make that more clear.
sara
Thank you! I have been gluten free for a long time, so I am very used to texture changes. I think since all the ingredients are blended, I will try using regular rolled oats rather than quick because I can get gluten free rolled oats at a better price than gluten free quick oats. I will let you know how that works once I give it a try. Also, that might be important to note that if making these for friends who have a severe gluten allergy, they would only be gluten free with certified gluten free oats.