Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes per batch
Yield: 32 muffins

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites
1 egg
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 3/4 cup fat free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg, egg whites, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with muffin papers. Fill 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve warm.

Tips and Tricks

The recipe as listed makes a very large amount of batter. So much that in place of the large bowl, I used my crock pot to mix it. Halving the recipe made a more manageable amount. I also made mini muffins instead of full size muffins. The mini muffin is a more ideal size to give to my toddler as a snack. A miniature ladle makes filling the cups easy and neater.

Make It Healthier

This is already a fairly nutritious snack. The whole wheat flour ups the grains and using applesauce makes them lighter without sacrificing taste. If you have picky toddlers, try adding finely grated vegetables to the batter. Add wheat germ or ground flaxseed to make the muffins even healthier.

How Kids Can Help

Line the muffin cups. Older kids can measure the dry ingredients. When my toddler helps me, I measure, then hand him the cup to dump into a bowl. This is one of his favorite things to help me cook, and I can feel good about letting him eat them because of the wheat flour and applesauce.

Nutrition Facts

one muffin equals 161 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

Diabetic Exchanges

2 starch, 1 fat