Don’t be mad.
I made you bran muffins.
But they’re double chocolate bran muffins, so we’re all good, right?
As I mentioned when I shared my Pineapple Lemonade Fruit Dip, I am making more of an effort to eat healthy now that I’m expecting our second child. I find at the beginning of my pregnancies that I am just so hungry all the time.
For the first 8 weeks or so, I eat an embarrassing amount of food.
And I know there are people who will respond, “you’re eating for two!” or “you’re growing a baby — your body needs it!” And I also know that they’re wrong.
A baby the size of a poppy seed does not need two full bowls of Chocolate Cheerios for an afternoon snack. Nor does a baby the size of a raspberry need a chili burger the size of my face and a bucket of fries.
Don’t peg me as a pregnancy diet extremist — I don’t deny myself food to avoid putting on the weight that is going to come anyway. I just try to make healthy swaps for the food I really want to eat. I try to choose food that is packed full of protein and fiber, so that hopefully I can go an hour or two between meals.
That being said, since I got it in my head to make some bran muffins the first time this pregnancy, I have renewed my love interest with bran.
I know that seems super lame, but as a hungry-(at times hangry)-trying-to-be-healthy pregnant woman, I am loving the list and amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. Especially the all-important Iron.
But I felt like a post about regular old bran muffins wouldn’t do so well.
Like maybe you wouldn’t share my enthusiasm.
So I made them chocolate. Double chocolate. With banana. And chocolate.
And I sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top to distract from all the healthy stuff inside.
And they are seriously delicious. I’m not even lying to you, to make myself feel better about snacking on bran muffins for the next 6 months. They are moist and chocolatey and banana-y.
And they have chocolate chips. Just saying.
My 2 year old devoured two before bed. And I’m pretty sure she would have kept working on them if I hadn’t stopped her.
Double Chocolate Banana Bran Muffins
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal
- 1 cup milk
- 3 large overripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips plus additional for top if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with about 16 paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let sit 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash with a whisk. Whisk in egg, brown sugar applesauce and vanilla.
- Whisk in flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Add softened bran and whisk just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Ladle into prepared muffin pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (Mine baked exactly 19 minutes) until a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean.
- Let cool to room temperature (you can dive in before that, but the paper liners are difficult to remove from warm muffins!).
Nutrition Information
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Tag @thereciperebelAdapted from All Bran.
Amanda says
Hi emailing from the UK just wondered to make the recipe gluten free should I swop the wheat flour for gluten free plain or self raising flour . ? I would usually use self raising – do you think it would work with buck wheat flour .?
Thanks
Amanda
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Amanda! Unfortunately I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour. I would guess that all purpose gluten free flour blend would be your best bet
bonnie says
what can I use in place of apple sauce
Ashley Fehr says
Yogurt or sour cream will work, or oil or melted butter. You will lose a bit of the sweetness so if you like things quite sweet you may want to add a bit more sugar.
Bob says
Made essentially these today; they were fantastic. I used a quarter cup of truvia baking blend and a tablespoon of molasses instead of the brown sugar, left out the pinch of salt, and just dumped in a whole 4 oz snack cup of unsweetened applesauce. Also didn’t want to deal with a second muffin tin so I heaped it all into a dozen muffins and let it bake a few minutes longer. The result is just awesome. The recipe is a keeper, thanks.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Bob! It is our favorite muffin recipe!
alex says
Hi Ashley- wow !! Your recipes sound truly divine and I would like to try some – just wanted to check – prob a silly question but how much is a “cup” measurement in ounces or grams? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Alex! Thanks! I honestly can’t say, as the weight of a cup will differ for every ingredient.
dina says
i love healthy treats. yum!
Ashley says
Thanks Dina! Anything with chocolate gets my vote 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
How can I be mad when there’s double the chocolate in these muffins?! And they’re good for me so I can eat a million of them right?? RIGHT?! 😉
Ashley says
Of course! Lol. As long as you want to bake a million 😉
Ashley says
Ashley!! I was sooooo excited when I seen this title up on fb. #1 Muffins are huge in this house, we just love them….. #2 I love chocolate muffins….#3 I love bran muffins….. #4I love banana muffins! Can’t wait to try them. I’m printing off the recipe now.
Ashley says
ps It’s Ashley Nelson lol.
Ashley says
Lol. They are now my favorite muffin! Let me know how you like them!
Min says
Congrats! And good for you for making a conscious effort to eat healthier during your pregnancy! This muffin looks and sounds amazing! Pinning 😉
Ashley says
Haha, thanks Min! It’s a pretty good excuse 🙂