We all had a craving for chocolate the other day. So, I baked these delightful, extra-chocolatey, cupcake-like muffins. * Scrumptious * Simple to make, just added some healthy whole-grains, yogurt, and extra chocolate chips, of course. My friend said said “this is the BEST chocolate cupcake that I’ve ever had” I couldn’t agree more. Decadent…
So, for a nice little breakfast treat, snack or divine dessert, try a Chocolatey Chip Cupcake. You’ll be so happy you did. Trust me.
Thanks for dropping by,
~Lisa xo
Chocolatey Chip Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups *all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar (or a substitute)
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, (1/2 cup for sprinkling)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* You may substitute (half or more) of oat, whole wheat or gluten-free flour.
Directions:
Spray or grease a muffin pan or line with paper liners. Makes (12) one doz.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. In a small bowl, mix all the liquid ingredients. the dry and wet ingredients together, don’t worry if the batter is lumpy. Spoon into the prepared muffin pans. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or so, do the toothpick test. Sprinkle with sugar if you like.
Here’s one of my most popular, all-time favorite cookies, Outrageous Oatmeal. I love them. A nutritious indulgence, loaded with heart-healthy ingredients like walnuts, blueberries, oats and dark chocolate. I even eat them for breakfast. This delicious cookie is nice and chewy, yet crisp, just perfect. Try some and see for yourself, let me know…
PS. Remember get Baked in Maine everyday and “share” with your healthy friends onfacebook!
3 cups “Old-Fashioned” or steel-cut oats, uncooked
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Options, use a few of your favorite add-in’s below:
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 2 tbs. honey
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup currents or cherries
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped figs, dates, or raisins
1 cup of chopped nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pistachios or hazelnuts.
* Baker’s notes: Use your sugar substitute according to package directions. Some sweeteners are very sweet and you may need to use less.
* Pick up some healthy whole-grain flours at your local health food store. I use local (Maine grown) organic flour. You need whole-wheat pastry flour, white whole-wheat and/or oat flour from the health food store. These nutritious flours are very soft, and finely ground. Especially nice for baking.You can use Bob’s Red Mill. Buy some ground flax seed too. (You can add a spoonful to your cereal with blueberries in the a.m.)
* I prefer wild Maine blueberries. Save money, and dry them yourself on paper towels.
* Good news! You can make your own healthy oat flour. Just process the oats in a food processor or blender until it becomes a soft fine flour. Use it in almost any recipe that calls for all-purpose flour.
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or spray lightly with cooking spray
Beat together butter and sugars until light creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
In a another bowl add flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well.
Now add the oats, and your all of your add-in’s to the dry ingredients, mixing well. With a huge spoon, add all of these dry ingredients to your mixer, mix until blended. Or mix by hand.
I like BIG cookies so I use a quick release ice cream scoop. For a smaller cookie, you may drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Add a few chocolate chips and nuts on top for a nice presentation (as shown above)….
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then cool on wire rack.
I just love everything about pumpkin, and chocolate. Who doesn’t? So, I decided one day to bake-up a lower calorie, healthier, (and crispier) version of that popular old Maine classic pumpkin “cake-like” cookie. I wanted a decadent, whole-grain cookie, loaded with antioxidants, including more spices and lots of rich, dark chocolate chips. Okay, now we’re going to take this irresistible cookie to a whole new level….
The new heart-healthy recipe includes local ingredients: Maine pumpkin (loaded with fiber and vitamin A), Maine grown organic whole-wheat flour, oats, black-strap molasses, ginger, and gourmet dark chocolate (60% cacao).
Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are made of!
Ingredients:
4 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour (or sub. half with whole wheat flour)
2 Teaspoons of baking soda.
1 Teaspoon baking powder.
1/4 Teaspoon sea salt.
3 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Cup of butter (or sub. Smart Balance sticks, softened)
1 Cup of canola or extra-light olive oil (or apple sauce for a cake-like cookie).
2 1/3 Cups of brown sugar (or sub. stevia).
1 1/2 (15 ounce cans) of pumpkin puree (or use fresh pumpkin).
2 Large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons of vanilla.
3 Tablespoons of molasses.
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
1 1/3 Cups quick-cooking oats.
2 Cups dark chocolate chips (or more!)
* Nutritional info: Calories 200, Total fat 8g, Total carbs 20g (for small cookies)
*Notes: This recipe makes a HUGE batch of cookies. You can easily fill these cookies with cream cheese filling and make some wicked good whoopie pies! Cream together 12 oz. of cream cheese softened, 2 egg whites, zest of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla or maple syrup. Add 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar slowly, add 1 cup at a time to avoid lumps. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
* Don’t forget to run into the health food store to buy some organic flours and other stuff. You will need some soft white whole-wheat flour for this recipe, oat flour, and whole-wheat pastry flour (for future recipes). Look around in there, and get some organic vanilla, and (bulk) spices are cheaper too!
** You can use the following in place of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 1/2 Tablespoons of cinnamon.
2 Teaspoons of ginger.
2 Teaspoons of allspice. (optional)
1 teaspoon nutmeg.
1 Teaspoon cloves
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350*F. Makes 2 dozen HUGE cookies or 4 dozen smaller cookies!
Gather up several sheet pans and spray with cooking spray or use parchment paper.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
With a mixer, whip the butter and oil, add the brown sugar and mix on med. high-speed until light and fluffy. Blend in the pumpkin, egg, molasses, vanilla and lemon zest.
With the mixer on low-speed, add the dry ingredients using a large spoon. Add in oats and chocolate chips. Don’t over mix!
I like to use a quick-release ice cream scoop to get a nice round perfect cookie. Or just use a big spoon and leave a few inches between the cookies.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes. You can use a a toothpick to check for doneness. Try not to brown them too much or over-bake. Cool on wire racks.
Enjoy your wicked-good pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
