Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
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This healthy chocolate chip muffins recipe makes a delicious, whole grain treat after dinner or on the go!
There’s just something about healthy chocolate chip muffins. I bite into their soft, spongy little bodies, and I’m immediately whisked away to my fabulously warm and sweet-scented dream kitchen and that perfect, double oven I keep fantasizing about. My stress seems to melt away and the only thing occupying my mind is that deep, rich gooey chocolate that seems to massage my shoulders and rub my feet on the way down.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MUFFIN AND A CUPCAKE?
Typically, a muffin is heartier. It’s often made with whole grains and is also often filled with healthier fare such as dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Muffins can be sweet or savory. They can sometimes be very similar to cupcakes, however, but cupcakes are basically tiny cakes. So there is a difference.
ARE MUFFINS HEALTHIER THAN CUPCAKES?
That is the broadly held idea. However, it’s not always the case. A muffin can be made just as sugary and just as unhealthy as a cupcake. While a cupcake is definitely cake in a smaller form, a muffin can have just as much refined sugar, process grains and other additives that many cupcakes have. And on the other side of that, a cupcake can be made with whole grains and healthier ingredients. So it all really depends on what you put into your muffins and cupcakes.
All that being said, these muffins, despite containing honey and chocolate chips, are a pretty good way to go if you are craving something sweet. They are unprocessed, whole grain muffins that use healthier ingredients at every turn. You can’t go wrong!
BASE MUFFIN RECIPE:
If you are wanting a good base recipe to use for other muffins, this is a great one. Sub the chocolate chips with other things like berries, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, whatever you can think of that fits into your definition of health and clean!
MORE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS RECIPE
Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (affiliate link)
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup oil (anything light in flavor)
- ¾ cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup chocolate chips (either grain sweetened, low carb or dark chocolate are the cleanest choices)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line your muffin tin with cupcake papers.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, chocolate chips and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend everything else with a whisk.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients and whisk again.
- Pour into your muffin tin. Fill up the cups only half way.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
It does look healthy and delicious with whole wheat flour and soy milk!
My ultimate stress-relief food is dark french chocolate with nuts – hazelnuts or almonds. Somehow, if the nuts aren’t in there, it doesn’t work.
If that is not around, yoga, walking the dog, or writing will do the trick.
Happy New Year, Tiffany!
Love this! But for my stress relieving foods its either popcorn or milk chocolate carmel doves…or baking literally anything and eating its batter! Haha but instead of those things I exercise or go shopping:)
1. My stress relief food is a clean eating “mac n cheese”. It is made with cottage cheese, pumpkin, whole wheat pasta and reduced fat cheese. very yummy, very healthy.
2. I try not to turn to food any more. Since starting with my eating clean in November 2009 I am down a wonderful 80lbs. I have found that journaling and walking really help. I also turn to the pages of the most recent issue of Oxygen magazine and know that I don’t want to eat!!!
Happy New Year. A new scale would only help me stay on track. I have been doing it all with a cheapy scale that is not all that accurate. I love your site and your recipes!!! Keep up the great work.
I love chocolate as my stress relief food. I get a bar of 70% chocolate and put it in the freezer and break off a piece.
But, I have been working on no food stress relief by going for a walk, reading a book or listening to relaxing music. Enya works really well! Happy New Year! Those muffins look AMAZING!
My ultimate stress relief food is popcorn! I love it because it’s still healthy and yet you can eat a lot of it for not a ton of calories. Mix in nuts or chocolate chips and it’s even better!
If I don’t turn to food, I will go for a walk or bike ride in the park. We have a huge, amazing park here in Denver with a couple of lakes and the atmosphere, view, energy when you are there is amazing.
Those muffins are def going on my recipe to try list 2, thanks for all of the great recipes in 2010!
My ultimate stress-relief food is apple slices smeared with almond butter or Nutella. I try NOT to turn to food in times of stress, but it’s difficult. I try to make good, healthy, clean choices. If all else fails, I turn to reading for about 10 minutes to take my mind away from whatever’s stressing me out. Love your recipes, especially the chocolate pumpkin bread!
My ultimate stress relief food is anything crunchy. I used to be demolish a box of crackers or bag of chips during stressful times. Nowadays, stressful times call for a nice long run or a puppy petting session. Also, my hubby has picked up on the signs and will stop me from heading to the pantry as well.
Chocolate chocolate and chocolate! I know. Teeny piece is ok but most times I can’t stop!
This coming year I am going to work hard to use exercise to relieve stress!
These look so good but I don’t have nor have I seen a avocado oil 🙁
My stress relief food would definitely be chocolate as well!! and I mean ANYTHING with chocolate in it!! ive even pigged out on baking chocolate in times of trouble!! (now isnt that just down right pathetic!) But ive been sugar free for 6 weeks now and loving the way i feel!! now if chocolate doesnt quite do the trick then i get major stress relief from shopping!! But now that i think about it that probably causes me more stress in the end as nothing i try on fits how i’d like it too….sooooooooo whats a girl to do in that situation!!! LOSE WEIGHT would make sense right!!! so im on the right path and the New Year is gonna be my year!!!! (not to mention i will also be the big 4-0 in Nov….aaaagggghhhh) Have a great new years everyone!!!
I would say that my ultimate stress reliever food is light Pringles. Boo hoo, not a clean or healthy choice. Instead, I will try to make my own chips with potatoes or sweet potatoes, olive oil and sea salt……. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes, Tiffany!
My ultimate stress relief food is sugar. It can be in the form of a cake or cookie or even by the spoonful. It sounds gross, I know, but it is true. I recently watched the movie, “The Women” with Meg Ryan and laughed when her character at a moment of high stress pulled out a stick of butter, powdered baking chocolate and a bowl of sugar and proceeded to dip and eat. Very gross, but reality for some of us especially me. The character had removed all the processed foods from her home that she resorted to whatever fat and sugar was available even if it was in a raw form. To avoid situations as described above, I try to not to keep items such as sticks of butter or sugar in the house. I follow numerous “clean eating” blogs, so that I can have a sweet treat without feeling guilty. In times of high stress instead of eating I exercise. I find that running really clears my mind and relieves the stress. I injured my knee running the weekend before Thanksgiving and after I recover from my surgery next week I’ll let you know if cycling gives me the same relief as running! 🙂
Becky Hunt
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My favorite stress relief food has always been sweet, salty, chocolatey, savory, good tasting food…! 😎 Little by little I am changing that…!
I have been taking the time to talk with friends, go for a walk, “play” with my horses, cuddle my cats, draw, paint, and exercise and drink Shakeology…! 😎
I love the look of these muffins and can’t wait to make them. I have a pkg of dairy free chocolate chips just waiting to be used so I think this will go on the menu for this weekend.
My stress food tends to be creamy foods – mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, etc. I try not to turn to food but when I do, I try to make it a point to create a healthy version of the potential trigger food so that I’m satisfied and don’t binge.
Mac and cheese is my ultimate stress relief food. Something about the gooey cheese and warmth is so comforting. Not clean eating, but soul saving. Thanks for the great blog and awesome encouragement on facebook and twitter. 2011 will be my year to get healthy and I am greatful for the help! Happy New Year!
I wouldn’t say it relieves stress, but cheese is my comfort food–straight from the refrigerator, or melted into soup or as a quesadilla. Yes, high in fat, but with a good dose of protein.
To really relieve stress, I try quiet meditation, crafting, anything involving creating something, whether it’s a homemade card or a concoction from the kitchen. A scale would help me spruce up my baking skills. Happy New Year!
Hey Tiff, love the recipes!!!
Hope you and your fam have an OUTSTANDING New Year!!
T
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My “go to” stress relief food is always something cheesey. I LOVE cheese. However, now that I’ve been eating clean, I go to yogurt cheese and satisfy that need and still feel good about my choices.
Over the last 6 months I have been trying not to turn to food when I’m stressed, so I will get on the computer and check out Facebook or some of my other favorite websites to find inspiration or just time to calm down.
My stress-relief food is Little Debbie swiss cake rolls. Yes, I know they are processed disgusting-ness, and most of the time I wouldn’t want them. But when the anxiety hits-that’s what I’m craving!
I have been an emotional eater most of my life, which I’m currently trying to change… I’m trying to swear off the cake rolls!
I love the scale and would use it all the time….Happy New Year