Lightened-Up Orange Chocolate Chunk Cacao Nib Muffins

Back when I first started this blog, I was still in college, which meant I baked, took pictures, wrote posts, and did everything else outside of the time that I was at school or doing homework. I thought that was hard, but you know what's harder? Working an 8-5, taking care of housework and all those other adult responsibilities on my own, maintaining some free time for the sake of my sanity, and still trying to find time to blog. I give major props to all the bloggers out there who manage to do this because, quite honestly, I still haven't figured out how to make it work.

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I haven't baked much in a while, but I really do miss having homemade muffins, bread, and cookies around all the time. I made these muffins a few months ago - before life got all busy on me - and I just wish I had them sitting in my kitchen now to look forward to eating in the morning. The oatmeal life gets BLAH pretty quickly. But instead of dwelling on my own current muffin-less state of being, I'm sharing the recipe and hoping that some of you find the time to bake up some chocolatey muffins soon.

Not only do they come out of the oven loaded with glossy chunks of melted chocolate, they're also 100% whole wheat (but still light, tender, and moist) to make for a not-too-guilty breakfast treat. Fresh orange zest brightens up the flavor and crunchy bits of cacao nibs add their own touch of fruity-chocolate taste. They're perfect for when you want to start your day with something a little more exciting than the regular oatmeal/cereal grind but don't want to feel weighed down. And let's be real, chocolate for breakfast always makes the day better. ;)

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Lightened-Up Orange Chocolate Chunk Cacao Nib Muffins

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Moist & tender whole wheat muffins with a bright orange flavor, studded with chunks of dark chocolate and crunchy cacao nibs. They're perfect for a breakfast treat that's not too sweet!

• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins
• : Alexandra Azary

Ingredients

• 10 ⅝ ounces (2 ½ cups, spoon and level) whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 ounces (⅔ cup, packed) brown sugar
• 2 ⅝ ounces (⅓ cup) unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white
• 10 ounces (1 ¼ cups) plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
• 1 ounce (¼ cup) cacao nibs

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and brown sugar until combined. Beat in egg and egg white one at a time, until mixture is smooth. Beat in yogurt and vanilla extract until smoothly combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in just until mostly incorporated. Add 5 ounces of chocolate chunks and cacao nibs and fold in just until all ingredients are evenly combined; the batter will be quite thick.
5. Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle tops with remaining chocolate chunks. Bake at 375ºF for 18-20 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out free of batter.
6. Cool muffins in pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airight container at room temperature.

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