At only 162 calories each, they’re the healthiest chocolate muffins you’ll ever eat!
When Dad and I visited Washington, DC in August on our baseball trip, we stumbled upon the Corner Bakery Café as we dragged our suitcases from Union Station to our hotel. After a quick peek at their menu online in our room, we raced to the elevator and punched the button for the lobby. Healthy salads at last!
I ordered the Asian Wonton Salad, and we sat on the patio to eat as dusk fell on the humming city and businesspeople rushing to catch their trains. I boxed up half of the humongous salad for the following evening, but we still returned…
For dessert!
In case you’re new around here, I am the world’s biggest chocoholic. And after three days of withdrawals, my mind started spinning faster than a top to pick which treat to eat. Daddy laughed at my dilemma, as well as the sweet gentleman behind the counter, and they let me pick two.
I finally settled on the chocolate chip cookie and chocolate muffin, and Daddy added the chocolate bundt cake for himself. The adorable cashier threw in a second cookie too—on the house!
I bounced up and down in the patio chair, as giddy as a five-year-old on Christmas morning. I sampled teensy bites of each, including one or two Dad generously offered me from his cake, to decide which I enjoyed most so I could save it for last. (Do you do that too: save the best for last?)
I always favor soft chewy cookies, but those chocolate chip ones felt firmer than I like, as if the bakers left them in the oven for a few extra minutes. (I still polished off both, with a little help from Dad… I had run around the Capitol Mall in the humidity that morning and was still starving!)
But the muffin… The chocolate muffin… The melted pockets of mini chocolate chips slid smoothly across my tongue, and the moist crumbs clung to my teeth and lips.
Pure bliss.
Except for the thing layer of grease that coated the brown bag, paper napkins, and tips of my fingers. Most bakeries mix in lots of oil or butter to their muffin batters to keep the treats so moist, but I knew I could create a healthier-but-just-as-decadent version.
To make my lighter Double Chocolate Muffins, you’ll start with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. The 1 cup of whole wheat flour adds extra fiber and nutrients, but because you add in 1 ¼ cups of cocoa powder, you can’t actually taste it. (Super sneaky, right?)
You’ll want to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, not Hershey’s Special Dark, because it’s slightly more acidic. This means it’ll react better with the basic baking powder and baking soda to prevent the centers from turning too dense. You’ll also add a little lemon juice to the wet ingredients for the same reason. (Just a touch for texture—not enough to taste!)
There are only 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in this entire recipe! The majority of the moisture comes from skim milk and nonfat Greek yogurt. Because of the extra protein in the Greek yogurt, you don’t need any eggs, which means you can (safely) lick the spoon! (And the spatula… And the bowl… And your fingers… That’s what I did!)
To make my chocolate muffins even skinnier, I mixed in Granulated Splenda and Truvia instead of sugar. In sugar-free baked goods (like these), I generally use a mix of sugar substitutes to reduce the possibility of a chemical-ish aftertaste. If you prefer different sweeteners, use the equivalent of ½ to ¾ cup sugar (less for darker chocolate muffins, more for sweeter).
And now for the most important part…
There are 3 secrets to making tall bakery-style muffins:
- Make the batter thick. It should be scoopable, not thin and pourable like crêpe or cupcake batter.
- Fill the muffin cups to the brim. To make a taller domed top, you need more batter! Half to ⅔-full will not cut it. Don’t be shy—keep adding more!
- Bake the muffins at 425°F for a few minutes to start. Only about 5-8 minutes. Then immediately reduce the heat to 350°F without opening the oven door. The high initial temperature quickly activates the baking powder and baking soda. Along with an internal burst of steam, this makes the muffin tops rise really fast and stay vertical, instead of billowing out horizontally over the sides of the tin. It must be 425°F. (Trust me… I tried 375°F and got the sideways spread.) Create a sauna in the oven and your muffins will be happy!
With so much cocoa powder and an extra sprinkling of chocolate chips on top, these will be the moistest, richest, most decadent Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins you’ll ever taste. They satisfy even the staunchest of chocoholics, but if you still find yourself reaching for another one…
Go ahead. I certainly did. They’re only 162 calories each—no (guilty) strings attached!
These dark chocolate muffins are so moist; you’d never guess they’re healthy and guilt-free! They’ll stay soft if stored in an airtight container for a few days. Reheat in the microwave for 14-17 seconds to warm the centers and melt the chocolate chips on top!
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and coat 12 muffins cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and next 5 ingredients (through salt). In a large bowl, mix together the oil, yogurt, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in the Splenda and Truvia. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the chocolate chips, and gently fold in the rest.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 425°F for 6 minutes. Without opening the door, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for another 18-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Note: I recommend using a combination of sugar substitutes since some people complain about a chemical aftertaste if only using one. However, if you don’t have Truvia, you can substitute another 2-4 teaspoons of Splenda Granulated Sweetener.
Also, you can substitute ¼ cup of Splenda Sugar Blend OR 12 packets of Splenda for the Splenda Granulated Sweetener. They are NOT the same thing, which is why the measurements are different! See their website for details.)
Hi Amy, I tried it out with agave in the end. I did the required conversions likes decreasing the liquid ingredients. The rising during the first 6 mins with the higher temperature was going quite well. However at the end, the product turned out to be oddly shaped! Hahaga I don’t know why. They are all weirdly shaped like lopsided. Haven’t tried it yet though. Any ideas why it turned out like that?
Can you explain what you mean by lopsided Sylvia? Did the muffin tops billow out over the sides, or were they simply leaning to one side or another?
Well, it rose straight up and then at the top part where it’s supposed to spread out evenly like a dome, it only spread out at one side. Imagine the top part of the muffin having a large tumour at one side protruding out, that’s how it looks like.
Thanks for the visual Sylvia! Was the batter spread evenly in the muffin cups and not lopsided? I usually try to make the top of the batter as flat as possible. Sometimes, I’ll “bump” up the center by adding a little more there compared to the sides to make sure they’re end up with a good dome.
Yeah it was completely straight in the muffin cup so I’m quite proud of that area hahaha. Oh and what you said about bumping up the centre,I could try that the next time! Thanks 🙂
You’re welcome Sylvia! I hope that works!
With the internet full of chocolate and its creations its difficult to zero down to one when you want to bake some. But I must admit yours look worth a try. And with a family of diabetics around its great to know a healthy recipe now. By the way one thing that I find commendable is your detailed scientific explanations of the ingredients. You are lovely !!
Thanks Nitasha! As a chemist before a blogger, I love bringing science into the kitchen. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the muffins if you try them!
Okay, I have a diabetic aunt and am planning on making this for the homecoming of her sister (my other aunt), for her since I don’t want her to not be able to eat. But…I have Splenda and Equal packet sweeteners that have sat on our family’s shelf for several years (maybe 5-6 years??? I’ve seen it when I was in high school, I’m on my 4th year of college, tho..) and am not sure if that’s okay to use.
Oh, and I don’t have Truvia… can I use regular sugar for the same amount? I noticed that Splenda has a slight aftertaste… I just tasted it now as I’m typing…. :O
The packet sweeteners work just fine for this recipe Austin, as long as they aren’t past their expiration date! Yes, it’s okay to use regular sugar in place of the Stevia. You may also substitute a different no-calorie sweetener. I’ve found that mixing no-calorie sweeteners helps reduce that aftertaste. I hope you and your family enjoy the muffins!
I just read that Splenda doesn’t have an expiration date… I just hope Splenda thinks that 5 or 6 years (or more!) later, it is still safe…
FIRST OF ALL, I AM IN NO WAY BLAMING THE RECIPE.
Okay, so… I and my chocolate tooth are not happy. Apparently, 12 packets of Splenda DOES NOT DO ANYTHING!! Seriously… the muffins turned out moist but did not taste anything except an acidic cocoa powder… Guaranteed, I didn’t exactly follow the recipe as I didn’t have Granulated Splenda & Truvia, so that’s totally on me. So I substituted with 12 packets of Splenda & 1 tbsp + 2 tsps white sugar, and blegh. It tasted so cocoa-y (like pouring spoonfuls of raw cocoa powder in your mouth), and not chocolate-y that I felt like gagging after 5 itty bites, am I making sense?
BTW, I used Sugar to Truvia Natural Sweetener conversion table found here: http://truvia.com/recipes/conversion_chart
That’s my fault for trying to substitute sugar for shit. I must try this again once I have the missing ingredients, tho we don’t have Truvia in the Philippines… only Stevia pure and some with fillers (i.e., maltodextrin). I’m sorry I didn’t do justice to your recipe!
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out like you wanted Austin! I wonder if your Splenda being so old had anything to do with it too… I actually prefer a 1-to-1 substitution for Truvia (yes, despite their conversion chart!), so increasing the sugar should help too. Maybe try 16-18 packets of Splenda and an equal amount of sugar for Truvia in the next batch. Still, I really appreciate that you’re trying my recipes and baking goodies for your aunt!
I made these cupcakes according to the recipe, but I substituted Ganulated Splenda with the Splenda in the packets. I had 2 problems, one being the fact that the muffins were too bitter and unsweet, even though I made a separate batch with 18 packets of Splenda along with the Truvia, and the second being my muffins not spreading at all. They were tough on the outside, and looked like very high cupcakes, which isn’t normal, right? Still, overall, they’re tolerable, they just didn’t turn out the way I expected, which is fine, since that happens in baking, especially when you substitute ingredients. Thanks for the recipe, though! I will try to make little adjustments here and there to make them more suitable to my family and I’s preferences.
I’m sorry the muffins didn’t turn out the way you expected Michele; that must have been disappointing. They’re supposed to taste similar to 70-72% dark chocolate, so fairly dark. And yes — they’re supposed to look very tall. You can always compare your muffins to the ones in my photos to make sure they look correct! 🙂 If they were tough on the outside, that sounds like the batter was either over-mixed or the muffins were over-baked. Make sure to stop stirring once the dry ingredients are just barely incorporated, and try pulling the muffins out of the oven a couple of minutes sooner. Both of those should help with the texture!
Can I sup sweetener for maple syrup in the chocolate muffins ?
Yes you may, but you’ll need to reduce the milk to compensate for the additional liquid from the maple syrup. Since I haven’t tried this substitution myself, I’m not sure by how much you’ll need to reduce the milk, but the batter should be extremely thick. I hope you enjoy the muffins Tina!
These look wonderful and I’m going to whip a batch up tomorrow. Can you tell me the carb count in one if these little beauties?
The full Nutrition Information is included beneath the recipe. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the muffins Ann!
Hey Amy! I agree on the comment about the funny formed…or should I say deformed tops! But oh well! I am a chocoholic and before my trying to reduce sugar, I ate way more sugar than a healthy amount, that’s for sure. The texture is great. Moist and chewy. I had to get used to the taste as I am so used to sweet things but the chocolatey taste makes up for it. I am a dark chocolate lover and so I compare these in taste to dark chocolate. Less sweet tasting but of course still satisfies the chocolatey craving!! THANKS and keep the recipes coming!
It’s always fun to meet another chocoholic Katie! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins, and I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Dear Amy
When you say a cup of all the ingrediants what size cup do you use
Do you have a set of standard-sized measuring cups Christine? There should be a one-cup measuring cup in there, and that’s what I used. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffins!
Hi! I’m soooooo excited to make these tonight.please do tell…. standard muffin cups or jumbo muffin cups I’m sure not mini muffin cups right? There were so many choices at the store
I decided on the jumbo cups…. however, they all look NOTHING close to being filled. I put a dozen paper cups (jumbo) in a 12 cups stone muffin pan (Pampered chef kind) and they are all just 3/4 full. sigh. I hope they turn out. Next time I’ll try the regular (standard size cups)
Yikes! Yes, this recipe (and all other muffin recipes on my blog!) use a standard-sized muffin pan unless specifically noted otherwise. I do not recommend using paper liners for these muffins. The muffin batter will stick to them like superglue and they won’t peel off, so simply coat the muffin pan with cooking spray instead. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffins Kimberly!