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How could a healthy double chocolate bran muffin recipe be so good? Find out how easy it is to make these muffins in just a few easy steps. There’s no complicated recipe here — just pure goodness and CHOCOLATE!
Easy Chocolate Bran Muffins
Old to me but new to you! I have made these easy chocolate bran muffins for years and I have learned one thing. They NEVER fail to impress me. You won’t get used to the moist and crumbly deliciousness of these healthy chocolate muffins. Try this bran muffin recipe for breakfast and see how it’ll be your favorite part of the day.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Aside from this being the easiest bran muffin recipe, these double chocolate muffins are moist and have the perfect amount of sweetness to them. I love a good balance of not too sweet but still sweet enough to satisfy.
These deliciously rich and chocolatey muffins are moist and full of fiber, and protein. Plus these chocolate bran muffins are kid friendly!
Ingredients in Double Chocolate Bran Muffins
- Bran: I’m using Original All Bran Cereal for this muffin recipe, this is an important ingredient and doesn’t have a substitution, unless you find a generic equivalent.
- Milk: You can use any kind of milk, regular or nondairy, any fat content.
- Applesauce: This helps the muffins be nice and moist without a ton of added oil.
- Vegetable oil: I prefer oil in my muffin recipes for a neutral flavor and moist recipe.
- Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder makes it nice and chocolatey (not Dutch process).
How to make Chocolate Bran Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place bran cereal and milk in a medium bowl. Make sure all the bran is underneath the milk; set aside to soak at least 10 minutes while mixing the remaining ingredients.
- Place sugar, applesauce, oil, egg, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir or use a hand mixer to mix until smooth. Stir in cocoa powder.
- Add the bran cereal mixture to the sugar mixture along with the flour and stir or mix until combined.
- Fill muffin cups then bake for about 20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing the wrappers.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips + Diet Variations
- Any kind of milk is okay to use–any fat content, regular milk, or nondairy.
- You can substitute sugar-free sweetener for the sugar to make these sugar free muffins. (I use equal amounts Swerve Granulated but amount used will differ for other brands)
- For a more traditional mouth feel, omit applesauce and increase oil to ¼ cup.
- For a lower-fat muffin, omit the oil and increase applesauce to ¼ cup (will change the texture slightly.)
- For lower cholesterol, use 2 egg whites in place of the 1 large egg (will slightly change the texture).
- You can use half and half all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour or substitute all the AP flour with 1:1 Gluten Free flour to make gluten-free muffins.
FAQs
Yes! I love adding some mini chocolate chips to the mix.
Should be thick, lumpy, and have no bubbles. It’s ok if your muffin batter is a little dry and you see some flour in there.
Poke a toothpick in the muffin and it should come out clean, free of any crumbs or batter.
Yes. You can freeze these bran muffins for up to 3 months.
Chocolate Bran Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (123g) All Bran Cereal
- 1 ¼ cups milk nondairy, nonfat, or 2%
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (33g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place bran cereal and milk in a medium bowl. Make sure all the bran is underneath the milk; set aside to soak while mixing remaining ingredients.
- Place sugar, applesauce, oil, egg, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir or use a hand mixer to mix until smooth. Stir in coco powder.
- Add bran cereal mixture to the sugar mixture along with the flour and stir or mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips if using.
- Fill muffin cups ¾ full. Bake 18-24 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before removing wrappers or they’ll pull off some of the muffin.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
- Any kind of milk is okay to use – any fat content, regular milk or nondairy.
- You can substitute sugar-free sweetener for the sugar (I use equal amounts Swerve
- Granulated amount used will differ for other brands)
- For a fluffier muffin, omit applesauce and increase oil to ¼ cup.
- For a lower-fat muffin, omit oil and increase applesauce to ¼ cup (will change the texture slightly.)
- For lower cholesterol, use 2 egg whites in place of the 1 large egg (will slightly change the texture).
- You can use half and half all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour or substitute all the AP flour with 1:1 Gluten Free flour to make gluten-free muffins.
Recipe Nutrition
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Last Updated on February 14, 2023
Hi! These look amazing and I am looking forward to trying them, but I have a question. In the pictures the muffins have chocolate chips but the recipe doesn’t? How much chocolate chips would you add to this? Thanks!
About 1 cup thanks for catching that!
What do you think about using oatmeal instead of Bran Flakes in the chocolate skinny muffins?? Do you think it would work? I just do not like the texture of bran flakes, unless you grind them….maybe I should have read the directions first!!
Once they’re soaked, the flakes get soft, so they break up into the muffin. But oatmeal might be a good sub – I’d use regular oatmeal, not quick cooking. Let me know if they work!
Quick question. I’m on a no “processed” food program so I can’t have the bran cereal. Do you think I could do a flaxseed or maybe even bran flour instead? Or does it have to be the bran cereal?
I think the cereal gives it the body. You can try a flour or flaxseed, but I’m not sure how they will turn out. You’d probably need less milk (since the milk is to soften the cereal). If you try it, let me know how it works out!
By the way, for those trying to watch what you eat, download a free food tracking app. I use My FitnEss Pal. If youre eating anything with a bar code, you can just scan it. If youre making your own recipe, you can add the nutrition profile for each ingredient. It works great and will really help you as it not only monitors calories but protein, fat , carbs, fiber etc. You put in your current weight and your goal and it will also give you a rough target to reach every day. What I did is just eat normally for a couple weeks but log everything. I thought I was eating ‘healthy’ with protein cereal…but unbeknownst to me I was eating many servings and starting out the day with 800 or more calories. YIKES. yes, things like Kashi may say they have protein, but they also have sugar and carbs and almost no one eats one serving. Youll be surprised what you put in your mouth every day when you start logging – and become accountable. You can see where youre falling off the wagon. Try eating healthier , measuring your portions when you can, having healthy snacks and youll be surprised. I saw results immediately and have lost 20 pounds already without ANY exercise. Just modifying what Im eating and Im not sacrificing anything and Im not hungry
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