A few weeks ago, one of my new neighbors and I stopped to chat while her nearly three-year-old daughter peddled a tricycle on the sidewalk. “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” my neighbor mentioned. “Do you have any easy chocolate recipes?”
(As the author of this chocolate cookbook, my eyes always light up when somebody else starts a conversation with me about chocolate!)
My neighbor explained that her young daughter loved chocolate treats, especially sweet store-bought pudding cups and fudgsicles… But as a personal trainer, she didn’t like their ingredient lists and wanted healthier alternatives for her little girl!
I offered to text her links to my one-bowl brownie and flourless brownie recipes, and she looked relieved when I explained neither included any refined flour or sugar. After waving good-bye to her daughter, slowly riding past the houses on her tricycle, I headed inside to find my phone.
As I typed, a light bulb went off in my head… I still had an entire batch of these in my freezer! I quickly piled them onto a plate and brought them over to my neighbor. She sent me a cute picture two minutes later of her toddler halfway through eating one, the chocolate still lingering on her lips. Absolutely adorable!
So when I baked a batch of these Healthy Double Chocolate Bran Muffins, I immediately knew the girl I wanted to give them to! They’re supremely tender and moist, full of melty chocolate chips and rich chocolate flavor, but just 128 calories with no refined flour or sugar!
And yes… Judging by my sweet little neighbor girl’s reaction of, “Mmmm! I like it!” after her first bite, they’re totally kid-approved!
Like I mentioned, these healthy chocolate muffins are full of wholesome ingredients! The kind of stuff that makes your mind and body feel good… And somehow magically tastes incredible at the same time. My favorite kind of recipe—especially since two types of chocolate are involved!
The first is cocoa powder! Just the regular ol’ kind, like this. Because you’re adding more cocoa powder than whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour, if you prefer!), these muffins already taste really rich and decadent and chocolaty without Dutched or special dark chocolate.
Remember to measure the cocoa powder correctly, with this method or a kitchen scale! Too much cocoa powder will make your muffins dry and slightly bitter. This is the kitchen scale I own and love. It only cost $20! I use it to make every recipe that I share with you here because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
You’ll skip the refined sugar and use a combination of molasses (like this!) and pure maple syrup (like this!) to sweeten your muffins instead. I highly recommend using the molasses! It’s what gives bran muffins their iconic deep, cozy flavor. Molasses is inexpensive, shelf-stable, and great for all kinds of treats! (And with the holidays quickly approaching, you’ll need it for all of my gingerbread recipes too!)
I have a special trick to making extra tender bran muffins… You mix the oat bran (like this!) with milk and Greek yogurt first! Letting the oat bran sit in that liquid mixture while preparing the other ingredients makes it soften (similar to the way my overnight oats recipes work!). This means your bran muffins turn out supremely tender without lots of butter or oil. Total win!
Psst… You just need ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil!
Of course, we can’t forget that second super important type of chocolate… The mini chocolate chips! I prefer using mini chocolate chips because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains rich melty chocolate. These are my current obsession because they taste decadent and melt so well!
How’s that look for a healthy breakfast muffin?? 😍 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!
| Healthy Double Chocolate Bran Muffins | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) oat bran (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¼ cup (30g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oat bran, Greek yogurt, ½ cup of milk, and vanilla extract. Let the mixture rest for at least 10 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and egg whites. Stir in the molasses and maple syrup. Add the oat bran mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¼ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes or until the tops feel firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 2 tablespoons (15g) millet flour, 1 tablespoon (7g) tapioca flour, 1 tablespoon (7g) brown rice flour, and ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought blends should also work, as long as they are measured like this.
Remember to measure the oat bran, cocoa powder, and flour correctly with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That's the one I own and love!) Too much of any of these ingredients will make your muffins dry (especially the oat bran; it acts like a sponge and soaks up so much liquid!). Too much cocoa powder will also make your muffins taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup. Do not substitute pancake syrup because it will not produce the same taste or texture. I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses; it’s required to produce the iconic bran muffin flavor. (And you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
♡ Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Morning Glory Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Almond Joy Bran Muffins
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy muffin recipes!
AMy, I am seeking recipes that do not include sugar at all. St evia is fine. Have you experimented with that at all? Syrups are just sugar in another form ans I cannot have it! Please respond. Marilyn
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Marilyn! You can find all of my recipes that contain stevia here. In the future, the best way to find specific recipes is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe of mine you try next!
These are super delicious. Love the almost nutty flavor that the oat bran delivers. I made mini muffins and got 38 full size muffins. We’re at 5000 ft + and I was a little nervous about plunging ahead without adjustments – but worked out totally fine, just as you promised on another post – all my recipes work at high altitude. Off to the grandkids for a Valentine’s day treat. Thank you Amy for a ‘doesn’t even taste healthy treat’. Tricky. 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Norma! That means so much to me that you’d say they don’t taste healthy — that’s the biggest and BEST compliment ever!! Thank you! 🙂 I hope you and your grandchildren had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Didn’t care much for these. I found the molasses flavour overpowering and they had a slightly bitter aftertaste despite using your method of measuring. Could have been a touch sweeter in my opinion. I also found the baking time to be quite off – I had to cook for around 22-23 minutes and had to let them rest a good 1/2 hour before I was able to get them out of the muffin pan in one piece. I’m trying to up the fibre in my daughters diet and was hoping these would be a great treat for her. If I don’t like the taste I’m quite sure they won’t be a hit with the kiddos. 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Amy! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 Did you use blackstrap molasses, by chance? Or did you use the same brand of molasses that I linked to in the Ingredients list? Blackstrap molasses is pretty bitter compared the regular molasses, so if you use that, it’s probably the source of the bitter flavor. That’s strange that your muffins took that much longer to bake! Did you use oat bran or wheat bran? Did you make any modifications or substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section? We’ll get this sorted out so you and your kiddos enjoy the muffins! 🙂
Amy;
Hi,I haven’t made these muffins yet but I am going to make your muffins as soon as I buy the six ingredients to make your muffins,I have the rest of the ingredients in the kitchen.There are now two new members in my family as my brother recently got married and his wife and her son from her previous relationship are slowly getting used to living with us(a month today) and when I have all of the ingredients to make your recipe I will let you know how much we love and enjoy eating your muffins.
Kim
Congratulations to your brother and his new wife and son! That’s so wonderful for you and your family. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of these bran muffins! I really hope they like them — they’re some of my all-time favorite muffins!
Hi Amy,
I made these and they are dangerous!!!! I was a bit more generous with the chocolate chips (I think I used about 80 grams of them). I didn’t have maple syrup or molasses so I used honey as my sweetener. I had one about an hour after baking them and one after dinner (3 hours later). The one that had sat for longer was less crumbly. These are so much healthier than standard muffins, and in my opinion, they taste a lot better. They are very rich and chocolatey with no oily texture or aftertaste.
Thank you for this recipe. I will be making these again!
I’m so glad you loved these muffins, Ruth! That means so much to me that you plan on making them again — and that you’d call them dangerous! What a huge compliment! 🙂 And I’m never opposed to extra chocolate chips! 😉
Wow, these look great! I’ve been looking for a healthy chocolate muffin for ages, so am sure to gve this a go. Just one question though: I don’t live in the states and can’t find oat bran in any stores here. Do you think I could substitute for oatflour, or quick oats? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Nyna! If you pulse your quick oats a few times in a food processor or blender, that’ll be the best substitute. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!
Oh, Amy, these muffins surprised me. When I made them last night, they were delicious but a touch dry. I was a little slow in taking them out of the oven when the timer went off at 16 minutes and assumed that was the reason. This morning, the muffin was perfectly moist and the flavors had melded (and mellowed) after spending the night in an airtight bag. For me, these are the perfect breakfast! I am going to freeze a few to see how they do, and to stop myself from eating the entire batch today😇
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins, Sharon! That means a lot to me that you’d call them the perfect breakfast — I’m honored! 🙂 I’ve found that’s such a handy trick with chocolate treats, like brownies and muffins. They turn moister (and fudgier!) overnight when sealed in an airtight container. It’s like magic! 😉
I made these yesterday as part of this weeks meal prep. I used honey and maple syrup because I didn’t want to buy molasses. I also used an entire large egg because I didn’t know what I was going to do with the 2 eggs yolks I was going to have after using the whites. I used a dark chocolate cocoa powder and subbed espresso powder for the cinnamon to bring out the rich chocolate flavor. They are delicious! They are a bit dry, which is totally my fault, because I was scared to take them out at 16 minutes and left them in for 19. I am happy with my first bran muffin attempt! Thanks, Amy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins, Erica! I love your idea of espresso powder — I need to remember that! 🙂