Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

April 29, 2012

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins
I’m very picky when it comes to chocolate muffins. I almost like only those that my friend Matt’s Nanna makes. They’re truly unbelievable: fluffy, comforting, decadent and (of course) packed with calories. Nanna still lives in Tennessee, hence I can have her awesome muffins only when we go visit.
However, I wanted to create an “IronYou” version of them. That’s why I called up Nanna and kindly asked her for the secret recipe. She gave it to me but made me swear that I would not reveal it. I’m planning on honoring such promise. What you’ll find below it's the healthier version of Nanna’s double chocolate muffins.
No mixer necessary. All you need is a few bowls, unsweetened cocoa powder, +70% dark chocolate, protein powder, and - as per Nanna’s words - lots of love.
These muffins are incredibly light and chocolaty. Perfect for your post workout treat as they’re packed with proteins.

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

I brought them yesterday to swimming training. My teammates (6 of them) ate 18 muffins in less than 5 minutes (not leaving a single one for the captain (i.e., me)). They couldn't actually believe that I personally baked them, nor that they were so healthy. I mean, those rookies have still so much to learn...that’s why I’m still their captain!
Truth to be told, they are truly awesome!

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins Print this Recipe!
Adapted from Nana's secret recipe

Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins

½ cup / 90 ml vegetable oil (I used peanut)
2 large eggs (or 4 egg whites)
1 cup / 240 ml buttermilk*
1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 gr whole wheat flour
½ cup / 2 scoops protein powder (either vanilla or unflavored)
⅔ cup / 60 gr unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup / 3.5 oz / 100 gr brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup / 4 oz / 115 g coarsely chopped +70% dark chocolate

* I didn’t had buttermilk at home so I made my own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (also white distilled vinegar or cider vinegar can be used) to 1 cup (240 ml) of 2% milk. Just let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) , and place a rack in the center. Put liners in muffin cups.
In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, sugae baking soda, baking powder, salt and the chocolate chunks.
In another bowl whisk together the vegetable oil, egg whites, buttermilk and vanilla extract (if you’re using it).
With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. If the batter looks a bit too dry (which might depend on the quality of the protein powder you're using), add more buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency of a proper muffin batter.
Divide batter among muffin cups (I used an ice-cream scoop). Top with the remaining chocolate chunks.
Bake for about 20 minutes. It is hard to tell when chocolate muffins are baked and you definitely do not want to over bake them or they will be dry. So check them towards the end of baking.
They are done when they are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Nutrition facts

One muffin yields 160 calories, 10 grams of protein, 6.5 of fat and 9 grams of sugar.

19 comments:

  1. Yum! Have to make those

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  2. these look amazing, I may use coconut oil instead though - have you baked with that - much more healthy and withstands high heat very well!

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  3. Totally going to make these! They look awesome and delicious! Pinned it to one of my boards. :)

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  4. Just made these. Delicious. I did use coconut oil, I think next time I will lower the brown sugar. So good! But sweet.

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    1. i grew up cutting the sugar in 1/2 for any recipes for baked items, & almost always, the final product is sweet enough =)

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  5. look great-thanks!
    I am wanting to use these instead of sandwiches in my kids lunches. Why not use the chocolate protein powder (it is what we have).

    Thanks again- look forward to trying these soon.

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  6. Do you have the total amount of carbs in one?

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  7. Yum, these look so delicious! Give me one of these for breakfast and I'll be a happy girl.

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  8. Could I use chocolate protein powder instead of plain? If so would I leave out the cocoa powder? They look great, thanks so much!!

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    1. I would reduce a tad the cocoa powder but not leave it out completely. If for no other reason than (usually) cocoa tastes much better than protein pow.
      Also, without the cocoa the batter will be much too liquid, and you'll need to reduce either the egg whites or the buttermilk
      Let me know how that goes!

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  9. I JUST finished making these muffins and they came out virtually perfect! I'm so happy with this recipe- they taste like the super chocolatey Costco muffins but they aren't 700 calories! I'm definitely going to be making these again. Yum!

    Also:
    -I used regular chocolate/chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate
    -the recipe ended up making 16 muffins for me rather than 12

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  10. I made the muffins today. It was so easy to mix. But on this webpage, the recipe says 1/2 cup of brown sugar and the printable version says 1 cup. 1/2 or 1?

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  11. This recipe is great! I made them today and they're really delightful. I also used coconut oil and it worked well. Thank you for the recipe!

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  12. Does anyone have the amount of carbs in this recipe?

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  13. Just made these with orange extract instead of vanilla... Heavens to Betsy yum.

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  14. Could you replace the whole wheat flour with almond flour?

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  15. These muffins are fantastic and have become a family favourite! I use chocolate protein powder and cut back on the cocoa by about 25%. I use regular chocolate chips and 1/2 cup sugar, which is just the right amount of sweetness. I even added some psyllium in the last batch to add more fibre and they turned out great (with a little extra milk added to get the moisture level right). Thanks for posting!

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  16. These muffins are sooooooo GOOD!!! Just made a batch yesterday, and family is already requesting MORE please !
    Thank you !

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  17. Just made these and while they're edible, they're pretty dry and a bit bland, but I love the concept so will keep trying to tweak it so thanks for giving your readers a place to start! :) One thing I found was that the recipe actually makes more than 12 muffins and the nutrition info seems a little off? I got 17 muffins and if you use that, the calories is about right (but for 12, the calories I got was more like 250 cal). The real question was the protein. Mine is was way off from yours, so I figure it might be because I'm using a different protein powder? What protein powder do you use? Thanks!

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