Healthy chocolate chip muffins that are soft and bright in flavor thanks to apple sauce, and 8 other ingredients. These muffins are ready in 30 minutes, fluffy and full of melting chocolate chips, and chock full of protein and fiber.
These classic healthy chocolate chip muffins are the perfect healthy breakfast muffin, bright in flavor thanks to the addition of apple sauce and orange juice. They are also dairy-free, vegan and high in fiber, and look like bakery muffins with a sugary crumb top.
Just like many of my breakfast recipes such as my Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins and my chocolate covered donuts and my pumpkin muffins, these have a strong nutritional profile thanks to oat flour which adds nutrition and that lovely oat texture. If you are looking for a loaf version, try my chocolate chip loaf cake.
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Why You'll Love These
Nutritionally powerful. Not only are these healthy muffins gluten free, they are also dairy-free and oil-free and thanks to the oat flour they are also high in protein and fiber. The chocolate, if you use quality, is full of magnesium and mood boosting qualities so I highly recommend eating them for breakfast!
Light in texture & flavor. This healthy chocolate chip muffin is light texture thanks to the oat flour and applesauce, and the cake just melts in your mouth. Oat flour is a whole grain, naturally gluten free flour option that works easily as a baking alternative. Add in the surprise of the chocolate chips and another surprise: the fresh flavor of citrus from using orange juice instead of milk or water.
Ingredients
Flour - I used oat flour which is naturally gluten free and full of protein and fiber. All purpose flour also works.
Sugar - I used organic cane sugar. I am using organic cane sugar, brands that are organic, non-gmo and fair trade so workers who process this sugar are not exploited. I bet you can use brown sugar or coconut palm sugar, the color of the crumb won't be as light. I would not use maple syrup as that would throw off the recipe's liquid balance.
Butter - I used a vegan butter, Earth Balance's sticks. It worked perfectly but if you are not vegan and can use regular butter sticks. Be sure the sticks are at room temperature but soft, not runny.
Apple sauce - Apples contain pectin a natural binder so replaces eggs easily in these muffins, or use the liquid from a can of chickpeas called aquafaba.
Chocolate Chips - I use mini 60% cacao mini chocolate chips by Enjoylife.
Orange Juice - Instead of using milk as most muffin recipes require, I use orange juice for a fresh citrus flavor. To make it less sweet, use lemon or lime juice instead.
Leaveners - Only baking powder is needed.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Flour. You can swap oat flour for all purpose flour but use less because oat flour is more absorbent than all purpose flour.
Apple sauce. You can use yogurt, a soft banana, or even aquafaba, the liquid from an unsalted can of chickpeas, instead, the same amount.
Steps to Make
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Set it out two hours before or, in a pinch, microwave it for 5-10 seconds. Preheat the oven at 375 F. Use butter or coconut oil to grease the top of your muffin pan in case the muffins bake over the edge. Fill the muffin wells with paper liners.
Step 2. Next, make the crumble top, adding ingredients to a small bowl, and pressing to combine with a fork. You want chunks of sugar and flour sticking to clumps of butter. Put the bowl of crumble in the freezer while you make the muffin batter.
Step 3. Add all ingredients into one bowl, starting with wet ingredients. Stir batter smooth using a spoon or hand mixer. You don't have to worry about over-stirring and making the batter rubbery because the recipe contains oat flour, not all purpose or whole wheat flour.
Step 4. Then fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Step 5. Fill the cupcake wells about ½ full. If you want your muffins to be taller, fill ⅔ of the way. Either way, pack on the crumble top, and be sure there are at least 1-2 chunks of sugary butter chunks per muffin among the crumble top.
Step 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F (turn down the oven from 375 F). You want the crumb to brown but not darkly. When they look ready, use a tester, a knife or toothpick, to see if the batter is cooked. You want the test to come out clean.
Recipe Tips
1. Make your crumble top first and put it in the freezer while you make muffin batter. Don't freeze it for longer than half an hour; just refrigerate if you made it far in advance.
2. For the crumble, be sure your butter is room temperature but still firm. If you press a finger, you will see an imprint. You can also use chilled butter for the crumble, but you'll need room temperature butter for the batter.
3. Don't forget to preheat the oven at 375 F degrees, but lower it just before you put the muffins in the oven to 350 F. This is because leaveners in oat flour have a smaller window to react so a high heat environment helps produce a lighter texture.
3. To make muffins that don't spill over the top, use a medium scoop (2 tbsps) from this set to fill your muffin pan wells and then add your crumble top.
How to Store
Put the muffins in a container with a paper towel touching the tops, and then seal the container and refrigerate for 4 days. The towel will keep them from getting soggy. They can also be frozen for three months.
More Healthy Muffins
FAQS
Yes! You can freeze these muffins in storage bags for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat for 20 seconds in the microwave to get that freshly baked flavor.
Yes, instead of eggs, I used apple sauce, and the milk I used was nondairy.
Yes, line a mini baked muffin pan with papers, baked for only 10 minutes.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins (soft)
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Measuring cups & spoons
- scoop set Use a 3 tablespoon scoop for this recipe
- cupcake pan
- cupcake liners
Ingredients
Muffin
- 1 ⅔ cup oat flour (or 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour)
- ¼ cup butter softened or room temperature
- ⅔ cup organic cane sugar
- 3 tablespoon apple sauce, unsweetened or yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Sugar Crumb Top
- ½ cup all purpose flour or gluten-free baking flour.
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter softened
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Grease the top surface of the 6-well cupcake pan (so muffin tops don't stick). Then line the cupcake pan with paper liners.
Make Sugar Crumb Top
- Make the top first and freeze while you make muffins
- To do this, use a fork to mix ingredients together into a crumbly mixture. Don't thoroughly cream it up. Instead, let chunks of floured butter remain intact.½ cup all purpose flour, ½ cup organic cane sugar, 3 tablespoon butter
- Put bowl in the freezer (or refrigerator for more than half hour) while you mix up muffins.
Make Muffins
- In one large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined.¼ cup butter, ⅔ cup organic cane sugar
- Add in the apple sauce, vanilla, orange juice.3 tablespoon apple sauce, unsweetened, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup orange juice
- Sift in flour, salt, baking powder.1 ⅔ cup oat flour (or 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour), pinch of salt, 2 teaspoon baking powder
- Mix this mixture until creamed together.
- Fold in chocolate chips.½ cup mini chocolate chips
- Fill each cupcake well with batter nearly to the top, use the 3 tablespoon scoop.
- Sprinkle and lightly pack on the sugar crumb topping.
- Turn down oven to 350 F and bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. The edges should just be turning a light brown.
Storage
- Store the muffins in a sealed container for 24 hours at room temperature if you want. The tops begin to moisten however. So within a day, put them in the refrigerator for a week or longer frozen.
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