Espresso Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins

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Espresso chocolate chip muffins are a great way to start your day. When we found espresso chocolate chips, we could not wait to use them in a recipe. Since coffee and muffins go together so well in the mornings, we needed to try them in a muffin recipe! These muffins are soft and sweet, but not too sweet. They freeze well so we can easily pop them in the microwave before we head out the door!

A few words on protein

Since breakfast can be the trickiest meal to get protein in, we’re always looking for creative ways to incorporate more of this macronutrient. Protein is involved in hundreds of bodily processes and keeps us fuller longer, so it’s pretty important. We ran the macros on these muffins and each muffin has about 8 grams of protein, which is pretty good for a muffin! With that being said, as dietitians, we still recommend adding another source of protein like Greek yogurt or a glass of milk.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use any pre-made muffin mix?

We love using Kodiak Cakes mixes because they make things super easy while keeping them delicious! The bulk of the mix is done for you when using their mix, we just add a few other ingredients. We can’t say for sure that any and every muffin mix will work the exact same since they’re all made differently. You may need to play around with it and test the recipe a couple of times!

How do you prevent over mixing muffin batter?

Like almost all of our other recipes, you want the cold ingredients to be as close to room temperature as you can get. This will allow them to mix evenly with the other ingredients and prevent over mixing. Muffin batter is ready to go when all of the ingredients are just combined. You obviously want to mix until the clumps are gone but don’t go much further than that. Over mixing muffin batter will lead to a tough and dry muffin. And those are sad.

Why do you start the oven at a higher heat and lower during baking?

Starting the oven temperature off at a higher heat and then decreasing it will cause the muffins to rise and have perfectly round tops. The high heat causes them to puff up and stand tall but then it’s important to lower the temp so they don’t burn.

Do you really need to let the muffins cool before eating?

Unfortunately, yes. We learned from experience. The muffins may stick to the paper if you eat them too soon after coming out of the oven. Spraying the muffin tin and wrappers with ample nonstick cooking spray will also help with this!

Plate of espresso chocolate chip muffins next to a cooling rack with more muffins.

Ingredients

The teaspoon of cinnamon doesn’t give these muffins a strong cinnamon flavor, which is what we want. If you want a strong cinnamon flavor, feel free to add another teaspoon or two! The slight hint of cinnamon really brings out the chocolate flavor from the espresso chocolate chips.
Using full fat Greek yogurt not only increases the protein content, but gives the muffins moisture.
The mashed banana is similar to the Greek yogurt in that it makes the muffins moist and keeps them soft. Like the cinnamon, there isn’t a strong banana flavor unless you want to use more!
You can use any chocolate chip you would like! We just love coffee and chocolate chip muffins in the morning so the espresso chocolate chips were perfect. This recipe would work with any “chip” you love!
Chopped walnuts or pecans, crushed peanuts, blueberries in lieu of chocolate chips, or any dried fruit make for great add-ins! We recommend keeping the total amount of add-ins to 2/3 of a cup or 1 cup max to have a good ratio of add-ins to muffin.

These espresso chocolate chip protein muffins will instantly up your breakfast game. Plus they’re easy to grab and go on your way out of the door! Who doesn’t love an easy breakfast you don’t have to think about? We love keeping these in the freezer and popping them in the microwave for ~30 seconds and enjoying with a homemade peanut butter Greek yogurt (i.e. plain Greek yogurt mixed with natural PB). And that is how you start your day on a good note!

If you try our recipe, please rate and review it below! We love connecting on social media too, so snap a photo and tag us @theperfectpear8 so we can see and share your creation! 🙂