Healthy Double Chocolate Bran Muffins
These muffins are perfect for any chocolate lover! They’re supremely moist and tender, and they’re full of rich chocolate flavor and decadent chocolate chips. It’s almost like eating a cross between a bran muffin and a brownie! Leftovers will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 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 flour 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 – and see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and 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 or butter 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 and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with crumbs attached. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the oat bran, cocoa powder, and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of any one will 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.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in rubbery, gummy, dense, or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
OAT BRAN NOTES: Other readers have had success substituting wheat bran for the oat bran. I have not tried that myself and cannot personally vouch for that substitution. If you decide to try substituting wheat bran, measure by volume (cups) not weight (grams). This is because wheat bran and oat bran have different densities, so they have different weights per cup.
Soaking the oat bran (in Step 2) before measuring and mixing together the remaining ingredients in Step 3 ensures that the oat bran will be soft and ready to use. It's my trick for the best supremely moist bran muffins!
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
COCOA POWDER NOTE: I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. These have a different acidity level, which can change the taste and texture of your muffins. These muffins already taste very rich and chocolaty without using either of these!
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITE NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: The muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling.
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then substitute 2 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon (15mL) to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
MOLASSES NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: If at all possible, I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses. It’s required to produce the iconic bran muffin flavor. Use regular unsulphured molasses (like this), not blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is much more bitter, and it overwhelms the other flavors in these muffins. (You'll also use regular unsulphured molasses in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
In a pinch, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the molasses to produce the same muffin texture — but their flavor will be different and lack that classic "bran muffin" taste!
PURE MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Do not substitute pancake syrup or sugar-free maple syrup. These change the texture of your muffins. This is especially true for sugar-free maple syrup because it's often water-based, which makes your muffins collapse while cooling and turn out denser.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free oat bran. 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. Many store-bought blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should also work, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 4 days (if not closer to a week or more!). These muffins freeze well too!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.