Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
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.
Dark Chocolate is my treat. I don’t usually eat for stress. I understand that Dark Chocolate can be somewhat better than the alternative but when I eat a lot of it I don’t think it is that good for me 🙂
Ultimate stress relief food is something my mom used to make called peanut butter fudge. You heat up peanut butter, brown sugar and milk on the stove and cook til hot and bubbly. I know…not clean, but, I haven’t had it in a few years! : )
Now to relieve stress, I will work out, take a bath, take a nap, read or clean!! Just depends on the mood I’m in.
My stress relief food is chocolate or anything crunchy, although my New Year’s resolution is to stop using food for stress relief.
My ultimate stress relief food would be enchiladas. EIther cheese or chicken and cheese. Something about the warm, gooey, spicy cheese makes everything all better. lol (Which is why I try not to stress eat every often, calories yikes!)
Instead of stress eating I crochet, or go for a walk or head to the gym, or sometimes have a hot cup of herbal tea while I sit quietly and relax. =)
Oatmeal cookies with nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, and cranberries are something I’d grab in a second if I kept them around. They are best when warm and remind me of my mom teaching me how to make them.
Stress relief for me comes in several forms: a hot shower, a massage, reading a good book, crocheting, and the best, looking at pictures of my grandsons!
stress eater!! oh yes, my favorite is chocolate covered pretzels that way I get both sweet and salty. but I am trying to break the hand to mouth stress habit and so I am turning more often to knitting to keep my hands busy – or if the temp is over 0 ( I live in Montana) I like to walk
This recipe looks great! Will have to try soon! My stress relieving food is anything chocolate and peanut butter. Healthy eating banana smoothy with chocolate protein powder and natural peanut butter does the trick now. Hard to believe it’s good for you! I also love to bake and cook. It’s very relaxing and stress busting for me.
oh my, my ultimate stress-relief food would have to be lasagna!! i love chocolate just as much as any person, but what really calms me down when life with 3 little boys has been just a little too crazy is a big ol’ plate of warm, cheesy, gooey, starchy, tomatoey goodness! and i especially love lasagna for breakfast! 😉
my non-food stress-relief is to get out in nature! i live in north idaho and love every single season we have up here!
For stress relief I pick up my mobile phone and call my Mom. She is my super accountability partner and my best friend. Chocolate is a close second 🙂
I hope I win the scale 🙂
My ultimate stress relief food is brownies. Of all the complicated desserts out there, I think a good solid brownie is about as good as it gets!
I don’t think I pay attention to what I specifically eat when I’m under stress. Its whatever I crave at that moment. As for stress relief other than food….a nice hot bubble bath after the kids are fast asleep. Calgon take me away…LOL
Thanks for the chance to win the scale! Love your blog!! 🙂
My ultimate stress relief food is 60% dark chocolate.
This recipe looks delish…I’m going to try it next week (while I’m on vacation…woohoo).
My stress relief food would be peanut butter on toast with a glass of cold milk…
Having said that, I have really made an effort, over the past couple of years, to not use food to relieve the stress in my life…I now find my number one reliever of stress to be…exercise…seriously…I’ve really grown to love exercise in many forms (dancing, running, biking, strength training)…and it really does work!!
My ultimate stress relief food is ice cream. If I don’t turn to food, then I watch TV or read a magazine 🙂
My ultimate stress relief food would have to be chocolate and peanut butter!
I find that walking and playing basketball is a great stress relief when I don’t turn to food!
I just discovered your blog recently and I’m really wanting to try to eat clean, so I’m reading up on it! I think it sounds great so I keep checking all the good-sounding recipes you have! Thanks for all your hard work doing this blog!
Well my comfort food used to be my Mama’s fried chicken…but she passed suddenly 2 yrs ago so I’ve had to come up with something new. I havent had a chance to create a new dish so to speak but can say that my “go-to-stress-reliever” is a nice hot bath or shower. The heat and penetration of the water is therapeutic in so many ways that I look forward to ‘getting clean’ as often as possible!
I am going to sit here all night checking out your recipes. Yum
My go to food for stress…humm…I don’t think I have one. I have a really bad habit and I know if I would just take iron everyday it would go away but I don’t. I eat ice, lots of ice all day long and if I am stressed I eat more. :o)
I don’t really have a stress release food.
My stress release is hard exercise. Love the way I feel after a good workout!
I started running to relieve stress. Better for you and free!