Healthier Chocolate Muffins

I reduced the sugar and replaced the white flour with wheat to make these muffins just healthy enough to count as breakfast. Makes 12 muffins. This recipe, adapted from King Arthur Baking, has been adjusted for baking at high altitudes.

Ingredients

2 eggs

220 grams milk

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

70 grams vegetable oil

60 grams Dutch-process cocoa

240 grams whole wheat pastry flour

150 grams light brown sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

200 grams dark chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan. (You could also use paper baking cups, but I like to bake right in the pan so the muffins get a little crispy on the outside).

2.      Add the eggs, milk, vinegar, vanilla, and oil to a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Set these liquid ingredients aside.

3.      In a large bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, sugar, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, whisking to remove any clumps. Set a handful of chocolate chips aside for sprinkling and add the rest to the bowl.

4.      Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together with a spatula until just combined. It’s better to undermix than overmix here! The batter will be thick.

5.      Using a cookie scoop, portion the batter into the muffin pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips onto the muffins and place them in the oven.

6.      After 10 minutes of baking, leave the muffins in the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.