gluten free

HEALTHY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

I…NEED…FUEL, preferably in the form of moist and luscious Healthier Double Chocolate Chip Muffins sweetened with a banana, apple sauce, and coconut sugar (or granulated sugar of your choice) and that are gluten-free too (oat flour and almond flour)!

Do you ever feel like someone lit a match and burned out all of your energy reserves for the foreseeable future? Yes, babies are wonderful like that;-).

So, for those days when you have chocolate on the brain (#alldayeveryday), I find these muffins come in reeeeeal handy because you can make them in advance and they stay moist for 2-3 days covered in a container on your counter.

What makes these chocolate chip muffins healthy?

I call them “healthy” because healthy means something different to everyone. But, they are sweetened with a banana and apple sauce to dramatically cut down on the granulated sugar. I’m a coconut sugar fan because I do actually feel a difference when I eat a baked good with this lower glycemic sugar.

Plus, they only have a 2 TBSP of oil, and are made creamy with either peanut butter, almond butter, or the nut or seed butter of your choice.

I also love the combo of oat flour four for fiber and almond flour for a lighter texture.

How to Make Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

With a hand whisk or electric hand mixer, whisk the mashed banana, coconut sugar, 2 TBSP oil, 2 TBSP peanut butter, and apple sauce together until smooth.
Whisk in the eggs, almond milk (or milk of choice), and vanilla until a little frothy.
Stir in the cocoa powder, oat flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving a small amount to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they are baked (it looks nice having the chocolate chips float on top of the muffins).
Oil and flour the muffin tins to keep the muffins from sticking.
Scoop all the way to the top of 6 muffin tins.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 23-25 minutes or until a butter knife or skewer is inserted and comes out clean.
~~Eat a whole batch while~~ ~~ugly crying in the shower.~~ Delicately eat one of these while having a moment of peace and quiet.

You don’t need muffin papers!

If you want to skip the muffins papers because you ran out or want to save money, simply oil the muffin tins liberally and add enough oat flour in each muffin tin by tapping and turning the pan to coat it all the away around each tin.

Your muffins will slide right out with a simple butter knife after they are baked and cooled for a few minutes.

OH MY GAWD will you look at those muffins!

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Bon Appetit Ya’ll,

Leslie O.

Healthy Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Luscious & moist Healthy double chocolate chip muffins are sweetened with banana, apple sauce and a touch of coconut sugar, and filled with nut butter, oat flour, and almond flour for a delicious treat.

Course Breakfast or Snack, Breakfast/Brunch

Keyword Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins, healthy chocolate chip muffins, Healthy chocolate muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

resting time 5 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6 muffins

Author Bessie Bakes

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

1 banana smashed with a fork
2 TBSP oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar of choice
2 TBSP peanut butter or nut or seed butter of your choice
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup oat flour you can grind it yourself in a blender, but it's a much finer texture pre-ground
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup almond milk or milk of choice
1/2 cup chocolate chips I like dark or semi-sweet

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
With a hand whisk or electric hand mixer, whisk the mashed banana, coconut sugar, 2 TBSP oil, 2 TBSP peanut butter, and apple sauce together until smooth.
Whisk in the eggs, almond milk (or milk of choice), and vanilla until a little frothy.
Stir in the cocoa powder, oat flour, almond flour, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving a small amount to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they are baked (it looks nice having the chocolate chips float on top of the muffins).
Oil the muffin tins liberally and add enough oat flour in each muffin tin by tapping and turning the pan to coat it all the away around each tin.
Your muffins will slide right out with a simple butter knife after they are baked and cooled for a few minutes.
Scoop all the way to the top of 6 muffin tins.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 23-25 minutes or until a butter knife or skewer is inserted and comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, then use a butter knife to gently lift the muffins out of the muffin tins.

Recipe Notes

Customizing the recipe:

You can substitute the coconut sugar for regular granulated sugar, or brown sugar if you wish.

However, substituting the coconut sugar for honey or maple syrup will change the texture of the muffins, plus both honey and maple syrup have different levels of sweetness, so you can't sub cup for cup with these sweeteners.

You can swap out any nut or seed butter of your choice in place of peanut butter if you wish with no issues.

Gluten Free

HEALTHY CAESAR SALAD | HERBED YOGURT CAESAR DRESSING

If you want to cut down on calories and fat in your salads, I’ve got a healthy caesar salad recipe with herbed yogurt caesar dressing that will make you feel light and airy!

I’m quite the caesar salad addict. I could eat one several times a week and never get tired of them, provided that the romaine lettuce is crisp and fresh, and the dressing is high quality. This is why I generally make mine at home because restaurants can get lazy and serve pre-made dressings. Plus I get to make delicious cheese crisps to go on top that take just a few minutes to bake and are a great sub for croutons. I really love pecorino Romano cheese, but parmesan is perfect as well. Just shred little piles on parchment paper on a sheet pan and bake for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure not to burn them!

I stopped buying bottled dressing a long time ago when I realized how ridiculously easy it was to make vinaigrettes and dressing from scratch. You can make only what you need or enough for the week’s lunches in pretty much the same amount of time. You only need good quality vinegars, or lemons and limes, good olive oil, usually a nice mustard, some simple seasoning, and maybe garlic or shallots to make most dressings. This takes literally 2-3 minutes to whip up, and you can shake it up in a mason jar, whisk it in a bowl, or blend it in a food processor or blender.

Bottled dressings, even organic brands, always have an aftertaste that I can’t get past. There are so many preservatives, chemicals, and unnatural additives that are used to keep them fresh, so really take the time to read your labels!

For this healthy caesar salad dressing recipe, I used greek yogurt (because it has less water) an egg yolk for creaminess (it’s traditional in caesar dressing but can be subbed with mayo), canned anchovies (if you’ve eaten caesar dressing, you’ve eaten anchovies…GASP!), parsley for color and flavor, lemon juice, garlic, stone ground mustard, and just a smidgen of olive oil.

You can blend it all in a food processor (here is a link for a mini one that’s great for making dressings), blender, or in a bowl with a whisk. If you do it by hand, make sure to chop the parsley as finely as possible. This dressing a little “looser” because there isn’t as much oil binding everything together. Simply toss a little bit of the dressing over the salad to coat evenly and serve in a different bowl or plate. This ensures you don’t overdress your greens.

And there you have it folks! Soak in the last bit of summer with this light and refreshing salad. If you want an idea for a protein that pairs perfectly with this salad, check out these easy grilled lamb kebabs. They are so tender and SO good :-). Happy Labor Day weekend!