What?!?! Cake for breakfast!? My favorite! These muffins are packed with decadent coco-espresso fuel and have plenty of guilt-deducting fiber and protein in the form of oats and walnuts. Don’t forget~ premium chocolate is also a noteworthy source of iron. That has to count for something, right!?
My folks flew in for the holidays and I made this batter up 2 days in advance. It keeps
really well in the fridge for up to a week – great for baking the perfect number of muffins on demand each morning. Fair warning- keep out of reach of young children. My nephews came for a visit just as I was pulling these from the oven and after just a small bite they took off like rockets down Newbury Street…I am seeking a similar impact as an adult so consider yourself warned!
INGREDIENTS
DRY:
1/3 cup Coco Powder (I love Lake Champlain Baking Chocolate…one of the best finds from my 4 years at UVM!)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 cups Quaker rolled oats
WET:
3 large eggs
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted (I like Land O’Lakes)
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbs espresso powder (or instant coffee, in a jam), dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (I love Ghirardelli Semi Sweet!)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
sunflower seeds and sugar for sprinkling on top
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cups and brush top surface with vegetable oil.
In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients and blend in oats
In a deep medium bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, buttermilk, espresso mixture and vanilla.
Pour wet ingredient mixture over the dry ingredients and gently combine, toss in chocolate chips and walnuts. Be careful not to over mix!
Spoon mixture into muffin cups 3/4+ full. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving!
*If making in advance, store batter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Let batter come slightly to room temp before tossing in the oven.
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