Half the Sugar Baker
These healthier double chocolate muffins are so fluffy and moist, you would never believe they’re made with healthier ingredients and less butter! They make an amazing breakfast or snack. I strongly recommend adding some walnuts – it’s so so good! Plus – they’re made with some special techniques for the best chocolate muffins you’ll ever have!
Tips + techniques:
This recipe calls for whole wheat flour and all purpose flour for a healthier muffin that is still light and fluffy. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can replace it with equal amounts of all purpose flour. I also like to use some almond flour when I am making these muffins. If you want to try that, I recommend a ratio of 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, and 1 cup whole wheat flour.
Since we are using whole wheat flour, it’s extra important that you don’t over-mix this muffin batter. Over-mixing can result in tough and chewy muffins!
It may seem like this recipe calls for too much baking soda but don’t worry! The baking soda is super important because it reacts with the vinegar to make these muffins super fluffy. This batter is also fairly thick, which is another reason for the extra baking soda.
Ok, the most surprising ingredient in this recipe might be the vinegar. VINEGAR? IN MUFFINS? Hear me out. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda in this recipe to really puff up these muffins. It’s one reason these muffins are so tall and fluffy. I promise that you won’t taste it in the final product! You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. If you don’t have vinegar, you can skip it, but I highly recommend that you use it for extra fluffy muffins!
Next up, the cocoa powder and espresso powder. In this recipe, the cocoa powder and espresso powder are not mixed in with the dry ingredients, instead they are mixed with the hot butter first. This is called “blooming” and it really helps to bring out the rich chocolate flavor. The espresso powder makes the chocolate flavor really pop. You won’t be able to taste it in the final muffin but it makes the muffins more chocolatey. Instead of espresso powder, you could also use instant coffee granules! If you don’t have either, feel free to skip it – the muffins will still taste amazing!
Greek yogurt: The greek yogurt in this recipe keeps the muffins super moist and light. I used non-fat greek yogurt but you can use any fat content. Make sure that it is greek yogurt, not plain yogurt because it has too much liquid.
Lastly, but definitely not least – walnuts! Chocolate and walnuts are such a classic combo and the compliment each other so well (in my opinion)! I like to add some chopped walnuts to my muffins. It adds texture and flavor, which is a win-win! If you can’t have walnuts, or you don’t like walnuts, feel free to replace them with other nuts or skip them completely!
If you liked these healthier double chocolate muffins, you might also like:
Healthier Double Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder or instant coffee optional
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar optional
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, melt the butter. While it is still hot, add the cocoa powder and espresso powder and whisk well. Then whisk in the brown sugar. Add the two eggs and whisk to incorporate well. Then whisk in the greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Lastly, add the milk and carefully whisk until everything is well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Then add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and stir until evenly incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350ºF. Bake at 350ºF for an additional 13-15 minutes. Do not open the oven door while lowering the temperature. Once done baking, an inserted toothpick should come out clean. Be careful not to confuse melted chocolate with unbaked batter.
- Once done baking, remove the muffins from the oven and let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tastes great! They were super moist and fluffy!
Thank you for your review! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!