Traveler's Chocolate Muffins

I like to eat healthy things. But I also like feeling rebellious and eating cake for breakfast. These muffins straddle that line beautifully. With indulgent chocolate chips melting inside but only 2 tablespoons of oil, I don't feel that guilty having these for breakfast. And doesn't chocolate have antioxidants?

Anyway, blog posting has been a little slow. If you weren't aware, I'm working as a hospice chaplain this summer, which is so amazing but so tiring and leads to Joe and I eating less-than-bloggable dinners. And I've been trying to do a little bit more cooking and baking on the weekends, but this weekend my mother-in-law is in town and next weekend Joe and I are heading up to the Milwaukee-area for the 4th. All of this to say, I'm really glad these muffins are in my freezer.

Traveler's Chocolate Muffins
source: Baking and Books
Yields 6 jumbo muffins or 12 regular

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• About 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your muffin tins with baking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing with a whisk. In a large bowl combine the milk, brown sugar, egg, olive oil and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, stirring to combine.

Fill your muffin cups 3/4 full then sprinkle sugar on top of the batter. Bake jumbo muffins for 30-35 minutes and regular sized muffins for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then run a butter knife around the edges and move the muffins to a wire rack.