Chocolate Chip Power Breakfast Muffins

Last week, I found this recipe (thank you Anna for pinning it!) and wanted to give it a go.  But when I looked at the recipe closely I knew I had to modify it.  Do you see the second ingredient listed?  All-purpose flour.  BLECH!  Seriously people, I've read about all-purpose flour; it's not good for you.  Now I suppose I could have substituted with whole-wheat flour but that doesn't really help on the carb count and yes I'm one of those crazies who is following a low-carb lifestyle (for the record, it works).  So I immediately googled substituting coconut flour (which is excellent for you by the way).  The thing with coconut flour is you need a lot LESS of it because it soaks up liquid like you wouldn't believe.  I decided to use 1/2 cup and then add in almond milk to make sure the batter didn't get too doughy.  Also at the last minute, I decided to add in 1/4 scoop protein powder.  We use this protein powder at our house; Walker claims it's one of the better protein powders on the market and since he's the diabetic in the house, I believe him.  Do NOT get a protein powder with a lot of added sugar!!  Now, because of this added dry ingredient, and the use of coconut flour, I had to add 1 cup of almond milk to the recipe.  Also, I used plain non-fat greek yogurt; none of that honey added stuff (hello added sugar anyone???)
The other substitution I made was for the blueberries.  If I had planned ahead, I would have made it with the blueberries but it's Sunday morning and we haven't gone to the store yet.  The only suitable thing I had was about 1/2 cup of Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet baking chips.  Well that's not a hard call to make; chocolate it is!  The baking chips were pretty big so I chopped them up a bit in my mini-food processor. 
Now I don't count calories (it's way too much effort for me and with the way I eat now, I don't need to and I'm still losing weight) but I know some people out there really like to know the nutrition count.  With all of the substitutions/additions I made to this recipe, the approximate nutrition count is this:

Calories: 209
Fat: 12 g  (yes I know but fat doesn't make you fat, sugar does)
Carbs: 17 g
Protein: 9 g
Sugar: 7 g (yee-ha!  that's with chocolate!!)

You might scoff at how many calories there are but remember, I'm using these as a meal (or most of a meal), not a snack or a dessert.   Also, I calculated the nutrition using the exact brands I have so if you make variations you will have to calculate your own nutrition (although I admit, I took a guess on the coconut flour since I just keep that in a snap-lock container).

  

I was really pleased with how they turned out.  I was worried that they'd be really dense but they're not too bad.  I highly recommend eating these slightly warmed- the chocolate is all melty and gooey which is perfect.

Chocolate Chip Power Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

• non-stick spray
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup oatmeal–quick or regular oats, plain
• 2/3 cup Stevia in the Raw sugar substitute
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vanilla flavored protein powder (I used Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard 100% Whey)
• 12 ounces plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (do NOT use margarine- that stuff is nasty!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened original almond milk
• 1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet baking chips, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and protein powder in a bowl.
4. Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk in a second bowl.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely.
6. Mix in chocolate chips
7. Spoon into muffin tins.
8. Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, about 25 minutes.

Yields approximately 10 muffins.