Healthier Dark Chocolate Muffins

I guess it's muffin week in my house, because this is the second batch of muffins I've made in the past 3 days.  In case you missed the post earlier in the week, you may want to head over and check out the Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip muffins that were consumed immediately upon removal from the oven by my sons and their buddies.



Today, I needed chocolate, and something cakelike, so I surfed Pinterest (duh!!!) and found a healthier version of a dark chocolate muffin.  SCORE!  The original recipe can be found here, at Healthy is always better.  I didn't make a whole lot of changes to this one, except I'm not a big sugar substitute fan, even if it is Stevia.  I just don't like the taste.  I've tried and I'm not feeling it.....weird aftertaste in my opinion and quite frankly I don't want my muffin screwed up yo!!!  So I replaced that with honey and removed the water from the recipe.  Of course I had to add in some ground flax seed because I always add it to my baked goods.  I like flax seed because it contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids, it contains both soluble and insoluble types of fiber.  Recent studies have even suggested that flax seed may have a protective effect against cancer, particularly breast, prostate and colon cancers.  Anyway, I digress.......here's your recipe....and even my gluten free friends will appreciate this one!

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Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup oats
3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened cacao
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBSP. ground flax seed
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a regular sized muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips.  Blend until the oats are ground and the mixture is smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
Fill the muffin tins with the mixture and bake for about 12-15 minutes.  Just start watching them closely at minute 12.  If you burn your muffins, you will be sad.  Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before taking them out of the pan.  Then eat them.

Keep in mind that with this, and any other treat, that moderation is key.  This is definitely a healthier version than what you are going to find pretty much anywhere else, but it's still a treat :)  So, don't go eating 3 or 4 at a time..........besides, you'll get a bellyache.  But by using healthier ingredients and not buying processed pre-packaged crap you are doing your body a favor.  That said, alright....go ahead and eat 2.  And then do some burpees.........

In Good Health,
Debbie