A few years ago, Dad and I planned an East Coast baseball trip for late August, before the craziness of work took over his life in September. We started in Philadelphia, briefly paused for an Orioles game in Baltimore, and finished in Washington, DC, where Dad scheduled a day’s worth of business meetings at the end of our trip.
We arrived at the airport bright and early on that Friday morning, ready for our cross-country Southwest flights. We carried on all of our luggage (Dad always avoids waiting at baggage carousels after landing, if he can!) and passed through the security checkpoint with plenty of time before takeoff.
As we walked towards our gate, we passed by a Starbucks kiosk and decided to pick up breakfast to enjoy while waiting to board the plane. I ordered a banana and a latte (I needed the extra caffeine after my alarm rang so early that morning!), while Dad opted for his favorite dark roast plain black coffee and a chocolate muffin.
Once we found seats in front of our gate, Dad opened the paper bag with his pastry, peeled off the wrapper, and took a big bite. Rich chocolate batter, lots of chocolate chips, a perfectly tender crumb… As a huge chocoholic, I immediately said yes when he offered me a taste!
When Grandma and I recently chatted about our baseball trips and which stadiums Dad and I have left (only 7 out of 30!), that airport breakfast memory resurfaced… But I decided to be a little creative and combine Dad’s original black coffee flavors with the chocolate muffin he ordered, which resulted in these Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins! They taste just as indulgent as the one Dad ate years ago—basically like a brownie crossed with a muffin!—but they’re only 35 calories with no refined flour or sugar!
And my chocoholic heart is extremely excited about that!
For the batter, you’ll start with two key ingredients: white whole wheat flour (like this!) and unsweetened cocoa powder (like this!). Just use regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder! You’re adding equal amounts of flour and cocoa powder, so these muffins already taste really rich and decadent without Dutched or special dark cocoa powder.
However, it’s extremely important that you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your muffins, and too much cocoa powder will make them taste bitter, rather than perfectly decadent.
Because of that, I highly recommend a kitchen scale! ← That’s the one I own and love. It only cost $20, and it has been the best kitchen tool I’ve ever bought! I use it to make every recipe that I share with you on my blog and in my cookbook because it ensures my treats turn out with the proper taste and texture every time.
For the coffee component of the mocha flavor, you’ll use instant coffee crystals. These are the ones I use—or these for the decaf version! The coffee flavor is very concentrated in the instant coffee crystals, so I don’t recommend substituting regular brewed coffee instead. Instant coffee is inexpensive, shelf-stable, and perfect for baking, so it’s worth keeping in your pantry!
Just a few more important ingredients! Because you’re only using 1 tablespoon of butter, Greek yogurt provides the majority of the tender texture, and it gives your muffins a protein boost too. Win-win! Then you’ll use vanilla crème stevia to sweeten your muffins. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or refined (aka it’s clean eating friendly!), and you just need 1 ½ teaspoons for all 32 muffins. This is the kind I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor, and I always purchase it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
And of course… The mini chocolate chips! I’m obsessed with these because they taste so rich and melt really well. I always press some into the tops of my muffins before baking. Don’t they look so cute and inviting? ?
Oh! One last tip… Remember to coat your muffin liners with cooking spray! Low-fat muffin batter (and cupcake batter!) sticks to liners like superglue, so this little trick allows you to easily peel back the liners without any issues. Nifty, right??
Ready to eat your own brownie-like muffins? ??? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your muffins and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tbsp (6g) instant coffee crystals
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature and lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (56g) miniature chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 32 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons of milk and the instant coffee until the instant coffee has fully dissolved. (It may take a few minutes!) Whisk in the coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla crème stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 13-16 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Be very careful when measuring the flour and cocoa powder, especially the latter! Use the method outlined in the links above or a kitchen scale. (I highly recommend a kitchen scale! This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I swear by it!) Too much of either will make the muffin batter very dry, and too much of the cocoa powder will also make the muffins taste bitter.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) If you prefer, ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia, and the milk should be reduced to 6 tablespoons to compensated for the added liquid.
These muffins are meant to taste similar to 70% dark chocolate. For a sweeter taste, add an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon of vanilla crème stevia. Alternatively, substitute 2-4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for the same amount of milk.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
This is the instant coffee that I use—or this for a decaf version! The coffee flavor is very concentrated in the instant coffee crystals, so I don’t recommend substituting regular brewed coffee instead. Instant coffee is inexpensive, shelf-stable, and perfect for baking, so it’s worth keeping in your pantry! For a stronger coffee flavor, add an additional 1 teaspoon of instant coffee crystals.
Be VERY careful if using liners! Generously coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray before adding the muffin batter. This batter will stick to liners like superglue if they aren’t coated with cooking spray.
If you prefer, this recipe will yield 12 standard sized muffins. The baking temperature remains the same. Begin checking on them after about 19 minutes. The muffins will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm to the touch.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, sugar free}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Scones
♡ 35-Calorie Peppermint Mocha
♡ Healthy Fudgy Peppermint Mocha Cookies
♡ Healthy Dark Chocolate Mocha Truffles
♡ Healthy Single-Serving Mocha Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ Healthy & Fudgy Mocha Brownies with Coffee Drizzle
♡ Mocha Brownie Protein Bars
I have to make this recipe this weekend, they are little treasures! Sorry I haven’t been commenting lately but so busy at work and in life, sending lots of love to you xoxo
You’re so sweet Beverley — it means a lot to me that you’d want to try these muffins! 🙂 And no need to apologize!! I know how busy life can get. Sometimes, I feel like I’d forget to breathe if I didn’t remind myself every so often! ? Sending lots of love right back to you!! ♡
Has anyone had any luck with espresso powder instead of instant coffee? I keep the espresso powder around and use it in all of my chocolate recipes. You don’t taste it, it just intensifies the chocolate flavor. With this recipe, however, you are supposed to taste it.
Yes, you can substitute instant espresso powder in place of the instant coffee! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins Erica!
I made the gluten free version with honey instead of stevia and they were wonderful. I also used espresso powder because that’s what I had and I loved it.
As a side note, have you ever tried parchment paper liners? They may solve your stickiness problem! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Kim! 🙂 That’s a great tip about the parchment liners! Most of my readers don’t seem to have access to them, whereas regular paper liners are more widespread, so that’s why I include the tip about coating them with cooking spray. But that’s a genius tip from you — thank you!!
I made these today and left out the coffee. They are for after school snacks for my kids. They are so amazing! I know they will devour them! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these mini muffins Nicole! That means a lot to me! 🙂 I hope your kids love them too!
Hi there,
If I wanted to make larger muffins instead of mini ones, how long should I increase the cooking time by?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Vikki! I’ve actually covered this already in the Notes section, directly underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!
Is it possible to use almond meal or coconut flour? Asking cause that’s what I have in my pantry at the moment. 🙂 Thanks! Your recipes look so delish!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Prema! Coconut flour won’t work. You can substitute almond flour, but your mini muffins will turn out a bit denser. (Not such a bad thing, if you like fudgy brownies — they’ll have a similar texture to those! 😉 ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of these!
Nice information. nice recipe .loved it
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Shruthi!
Made these muffins and they were amazing. My family loved them. Only change I made was I used maple syrup instead of the stevia. I’ve tried baking with the stevia (your healthy banana pound cake) and wasn’t a fan of the taste.
Keep up the great receipes
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed these mini muffins Aman! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
These muffins are amazing thanks Amy 🙂 do you have something similar for a 9inch cake?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Aman! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Hi dear Amy
I tried this recepie 3 times and every time it was amazing.
For the last try, I decreas the amount of cacao piwder and increas the flour beacoause i wanted less chocolate and more coffee taste.
Thanks for every thing you do. You are the best, your website and recepies are no.1 .
. I have a big sweet tooth 😂 but want to be fit too, so i use your recepies to get a healthy coffee time.
Oh my goodness — you just made my ENTIRE day, Ayda!! That means so much to me that you’d call my website and recipes No.1! My heart is about to burst… I’m so incredibly honored!! 🙂 I’m really glad you’re enjoying these muffins too! That’s the best kind of compliment if you’ve already made them three times. 😉 Thank you for taking the time to let me know!