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!
Other great ways to start your day include banana nut protein muffins, cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins, and zucchini breakfast muffins!
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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 7 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
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.
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!
Ingredients
- 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 ⅔ 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 @theperfectpearr so we can see and share your creation! 🙂
PrintEspresso Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
Breakfast tends to be the meal lacking in protein for most Americans but these muffins will help you increase your intake! Plus they have espresso chocolate chips, which are ah-mazing. And who doesn't need as much espresso in the morning as they can get??
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup (74g) white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (54g) whey protein isolate powder*
- 2 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cup (332g) unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup (88g) pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup (52g) olive oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (92g) chocolate chips (milk, dark, white, or espresso)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/176 degrees C and line muffin tin with muffin liners. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small 3-quart bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Set aside.
- In a large 5-quart bowl, whisk all wet ingredients.
- Slowly pour dry ingredients into large bowl with wet ingredients.
- Whisk until just combined (some small lumps are okay!).
- Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop batter into prepared tin until batter comes to just below the top of the liners.
- Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of chocolate chips into each muffin cup and gently swirl with a toothpick.
- Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite breakfast protein (Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, etc.) or have by themselves for a snack and enjoy!
Notes
- These muffins will last in an air-tight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the refrigerator for 7 days, and the freezer for 3 months.
- Any add-ins can be used instead of espresso chocolate chips!
- I like to alternate every other muffin cup to allow the muffins to rise better!
- *Be sure to use whey isolate! Other types of protein may affect the texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 194
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 45
Keywords: breakfast ideas, breakfast recipes, chocolate chips muffins, chocolate muffin recipe, easy breakfast recipe, healthy breakfast ideas, healthy breakfast recipe, muffin recipe, protein muffins
Mary says
I didn't even know espresso chocolate chips were a thing until I found this recipe. I can't get enough of them and these muffins!!!
Lauren says
Hahaha I'm not going to lie, I made this recipe after discovering the chocolate chips. So good!