The only thing better in the morning than coffee and a muffin is coffee IN a muffin. I’ve experimented before with making oatmeal with coffee instead of water, and that’s turned out well. Yes, you can make oatmeal with coffee, tea, flavored tea, and more. Not just water. So I figured it might be possible to do the same thing with muffins.
After all muffins are very similar to baked oatmeal, right? Right. I got creative with the rest of my mixins for the muffins while I was at it with my leftover coffee. I figured chocolate also goes well in the mix with the chocolate coffee combo known as mocha. With a few other quick modifications, these muffin gems were turned into a low cal, moist creation at only 124 calories each. You could even have a couple with breakfast for those numbers.
Whole Grain Mocha Muffins 
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2/3 cup strong brewed coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg OR egg equivalent like flax egg or egg beaters
- 1 medium ripe banana (~102g), mashed * (see note)
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour OR all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp (42g) cacao nibs OR 3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper or silicone liners. Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl, making sure the banana is mashed. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Divide into muffin cups, filling about 2/3rds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Makes 12 muffins at approximately 124 calories each – 3g protein, 19g carbs, and 4g fat.
* Using a ripe banana instead of sugar 1) uses up those brown bananas that you’re at a loss for and 2) keeps the added sugar out of the muffins while still adding sweetness. I suggest tasting the batter before baking to see what you think.
The initial sweetness will depend on how ripe your banana is. The more ripe the sweeter the muffin. Also if you use chips instead of unsweetened cacao nibs, that will factor in as well. If it’s not sweet enough for you, add up to 1/4 cup sugar to taste. I used cacao nibs and almond milk to make a dairy free version for The Kid, but you can also use regular milk and chocolate chips.
I do recommend using mini chips in muffins if you can because the chips get more evenly distributed. I love that little bit o’chocolate taste all throughout my muffins instead of blasts and random intervals. LOL, <muffin snob>. These freeze really well so make a batch and freeze some for breakfasts later in the week.
If you’re interested in working with me to get meals together fast while working towards your health goals, I’d love to chat. Drop me an email, or come on over to Facebook and ask a question.
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