High Fiber Double Chocolate Muffins

It is hard to believe that these decadent chocolate-chip muffins are low in fat and full of heart-healthy fiber. They remind me of the giant ones I used to get at Costco back in the day, only these are vegan and much better for you. The recipe is almost fat-free, with the only fat coming from the chocolate chips. You can always leave them out for an entirely guilt-free muffin, but then you won’t get to enjoy the full chocolatey goodness that the chips provide. The high fiber part of the recipe comes from the whole wheat flour, oat bran and applesauce. You will not believe how moist and fudgy these muffins are!

I must warn you, this recipe makes more batter than most muffin recipes, so you may need to make them in two batches depending on your muffin tins. I completely overfilled mine and got some nice chewy muffin tops as a result. Another thing you should know is that the oat bran gives the muffins a bit of a course texture, so feel free to grind it into a flour first if you want them to be more smooth.

High Fiber Double Chocolate Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup oat bran (ground into flour if desired)
• 2/3 cup apple sauce
• 1 3/4 cup brewed coffee (I cheated and used instant)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated cane sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (arrowroot works as well)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (more or less as desired)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, oat bran, salt, baking soda, cornstarch and baking powder until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry, being careful not to over mix.

When everything is well incorporated, fold in the chocolate chips until they are distributed throughout the mixture. Pour the batter into the muffin tin (filling each slot to the top) and bake for about 25 minutes. Oven times may vary, so be sure to check the center of a few muffins with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean before removing them from the oven.

Allow muffins to cool slightly, pour yourself a big glass of nondairy milk and dig in! I like eating them warm since the chocolate chips stay gooey and melted, but they are good straight out of the fridge too. By the way, you cannot taste the coffee in the recipe, but I really think it helps give them muffins a rich flavor. You could always use decaf or water instead.

Inside shot!

Please make them and let me know what you think.

Tagged as: baked goods, chocolate, muffins, oat bran, whole wheat