These double chocolate muffins are like a decadent chocolate explosion in your mouth, and pack a hidden nutritional punch!
It's October, and pumpkin-spice everything is, well, everywhere! Am I the only one who isn't the biggest fan of pumpkin spice? I refuse to jump on the pumpkin spice train, and I'm rebelling with these double chocolate muffins with hidden vegetables and fruit. Because we LOVE chocolate in our house, and we HATE seeing perfectly good vegetables go to waste.
These muffins are the perfect chocolaty decadent dessert. They also make a wonderful snack when paired with protein - like a glass of milk or soy beverage.
Double Chocolate Muffins with Hidden Veggies Ingredients
You will need:
A zucchini
Two to three carrots
An apple
Spinach
Avocado oil - or another neutral-tasting oil
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Brown sugar
Whole wheat flour
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Chocolate chips
Storing these Double Chocolate Muffins with Hidden Veggies
These muffins will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days when stored in an airtight container, or up to 1 week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for longer periods of time!
Should I "Hide" Fruits and Veggies in Baked Goods?
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about a traditional chocolate muffin recipe! But as a dietitian, I love the extra nutrition that fruits and vegetables bring to these muffins. Plus, it's a great way to use up wilted or less-than-perfect produce.
That being said, do I recommend intentionally hiding fruits and vegetables in baked goods (or other recipes) from your children? My answer here is no.
Hiding ingredients from your kids can lead to more harm than good in the long run. Think about it... If someone told you after the fact that a food you dislike was hidden in what you just ate, how would you feel? Betrayed? Angry? Anxious? Outraged? If the situation were reversed, you bet your kids would feel the same and build distrust in you and meal times. Plus, the dislike of said food may be heightened after discovering that you'd gone through all that effort to hide it from them.
Rather than purposefully hiding vegetables from you children, I encourage repeated exposure, involvement in the kitchen, and curious discussion!
Interested in learning more about serving vegetables to picky eaters? Let me know in the comments!
Making Double Chocolate Muffins with Hidden Veggies
Servings: Makes 18 muffins
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 zucchini, roughly chopped
1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
2 cups spinach
1 apple, cored, cut into quarters
1/2 cup avocado oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 muffin tins with muffin liners.
In a food processor, process zucchini, carrots, apple and spinach until finely chopped. Alternatively, chop the spinach and use a box grater to grate the zucchini, carrots and apple very small.
In a large bowl, add the apple and veggies, eggs, avocado oil, vanilla extract and brown sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt.
Pour dry ingredients onto wet ingredients. Stir to moisten the batter, being careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
In your prepared muffin tins, evenly divide the batter into each muffin liner. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to take a photo and tag me at @vguitard.nutrition so I can see your creation!
Connect with Veronique!
If you tried these Double Chocolate Muffins with Hidden Veggies or any of my recipes, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Facebook for more!