Chocolate Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 12

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 30

Servings: muffins

Calories: 163kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

These chocolatey muffins use old-fashioned oats and yogurt for a wholesome, satisfying breakfast.

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
2 Muffin Tin(s)

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned oats *
¾ cup plain yogurt room temperature
¼ cup milk room temperature**
⅓ cup coconut oil melted***
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large egg room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder ****
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the oats, yogurt, and milk. Set aside.
1 cup old-fashioned oats, ¾ cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup milk
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 12-count muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, syrup, and egg with a whisk (I used a hand mixer, but a whisk works just fine). Stir in the oat mixture.
⅓ cup coconut oil, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 large egg
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined, but do not over mix. Finally, fold in chocolate chips.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup chocolate chips
Spoon into muffin cups, filling about ¾ full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool completely before storing.

Notes

*Old-fashioned oats work best here because they hold their texture well and stay nice and chewy. Quick oats will work, but the texture won't be as nice.

**I used coconut milk, but any kind will work.

***I used coconut oil to keep these muffins healthier, but any kind will work, or use melted unsalted butter instead.

****Cacao powder is a minimally processed powder made from raw cocoa beans with an intense chocolate flavor. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is made from roasted cocoa beans and has a milder, sweeter flavor. You can use either in this recipe, but cacao is more acidic and reacts more strongly with the leaveners to produce a better rise.

Tips:

A trick for measuring the yogurt more easily: Fill up your measuring cup with the yogurt first, as close to ¾ cup as you can (it does not have to be exact), then pour in the milk until the total volume is 1 cup.
Let your oats sit in the milk and yogurt mixture for several minutes before adding them to the batter to get them to blend perfectly into your muffins.
Sift the flour and cacao/cocoa powder together through a fine-mesh sieve to prevent clumps.
Add a pinch of espresso powder or sea salt to the batter to boost the chocolate flavor.
If you have time, let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking for a more uniform crumb and a better rise.
For extra-tall muffins, start your oven at 425°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop it to 375°F for the remainder of the time.
You can also stagger the muffins in every other well of your muffin tin for better airflow and a better rise.
Check your muffins after they have been in the oven for 15 minutes. If they are not quite ready, you can leave them in for a few more minutes.
If you find the muffins feel a bit stiff the next day, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds. It melts the coconut oil and chocolate chips back down, making them taste fresh-baked again.

Make-Ahead: Mix the batter (minus the chocolate chips), cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simply fold in the chips and bake as directed, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time to make up for the cold start.

Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition