Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin in a Mug

This is definitely one of the easiest and delicious things I’ve ever made. A muffin in a mug which takes about five minutes to prepare, then one minute to microwave sounds unbelievable, am I right? But it actually works.

It’s healthy, delicious and gluten-free. Plus, there’s blueberries! (Oh and just to put it out there: I love blueberries.)

Since I’m a lazy person, and I just didn’t feel like doing anything today, this is what I made as a snack and I was surprisingly awed by how good it tasted.

Healthy Chocolate Banana Jumbo Muffins

It’s Monday. The end of the weekend and the start of yet another week of school. Whoopee. On a happier note, I finally finished a part of my school project (which I got to publish online) and it wasn’t boring!

We had the choice of any subject, so I chose, of course, something related to food. It’s about the relationship between food and us (+ the environment) and we needed something substantial to present this subject, which I decided to put in the format of a magazine.

Zucchini Chocolate Muffins

A friend came back from a trip in France recently and they came over to our house, bringing lots of dreamy chocolates for us to taste. They were melt-in-your-mouth type of delicious. Anyways, that day, I had made muffins using the zucchini from our garden because we always have way too much, and my friend tasted one and said it was pretty good. I was happy, but then he paid me the utmost compliment any baker can get (or at least, in my rankings of compliments). He asked for another one! And then cheerfully gobbled it up.

Whenever someone asks for a second serving, I know they truly like it and that can brighten up my day no matter what kind of day it is. Even if it’s pouring rain and I have soccer practice. Outside. And my friend didn’t even flinch when I said it had zucchini in it :). A true eater.

These moist muffins are loaded with zucchini and chocolate, and there is no oil! Also, they are sweetened with maple syrup and cane sugar, which is a healthier alternative to your regular white granulated sugar. An all around A+ in my books.

• Servings: 12
• Time: 30 mins (Prep 10 mins)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Sneaking in that zucchini without compromising chocolate’s delicious taste. These muffins are even healthier with applesauce instead of oil or butter.

Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1/4  cup cocoa powder
1  1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (try it homemade)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup applesauce, no sugar added
1 cup grated zucchini, lightly pressed to remove large amounts of water
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Grease 12 muffin tins with butter or coconut oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cane sugar and applesauce. Once thoroughly mixed, fold in the grated zucchini.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and lastly fold in the chocolate chips. The mixture shouldn’t be too liquid (if it is, add a 1/4 cup more flour). Divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
5. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the top of the muffins have risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Let the muffins cool down in the muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing and placing on a metal rack. Eat warm or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Decadent Chocolate Muffins

These are super healthy and taste extraordinary! They’re moist and has a very chocolate-rich center in the middle. Everyone in my family loved them. And these could be last-minute Valentine’s day baked goods because it only takes 40 minutes and 2 bowls to make these fabulous muffins.

This recipe makes 24 medium muffins or 12 medium muffins and 6 gigantic muffins (those are seriously my life!), but you can half the recipe to make just 12 medium muffins. I used buttermilk, but that can be replaced with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Or you can make your own buttermilk by adding a few tablespoons of lemon or vinegar in milk and letting it rest for 5 minutes before using. And no applesauce in hand? Replace it with mashed bananas! I love how tweak-able this recipe is and how the result still stays delicious. Think I’m going to make them again today…

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

No butter, oil or refined sugar! These muffins taste really good, and because it’s so healthy, I allowed myself to add chocolate chips to make it even more delicious. This recipe can easily be used for banana bread, but I liked the muffin version better because it stays moist longer and are easier to pack in lunchboxes.