Chocolate Applesauce Muffins

Sometimes you need chocolate. And sometimes it's breakfast so you need something that's passes as real food because apparently chocolate and ice cream aren't appropriate breakfast foods. Remind me I need to talk to whoever is in charge of deciding the appropriateness of ice cream consumption (answer: always). But if I make muffins (breakfast food!) and they happen to be chocolate (yay!), then that's acceptable. Hey, I don't make the rules, I just look for ways to bend them so I get my delicious treats whenever I want. Fortunately, these chocolate muffins aren't completely horrible for you because they are made with applesauce to replace some of the fat, but still keep them moist and delicious. Nope, these muffins don't taste like apple, they are all chocolate all the way and perfect for a morning pick me up, or for a great afternoon snack. Thank goodness I have the Secret Recipe Club to convince me to try new things!

What's Secret Recipe Club?  Each Monday a group of bloggers post a recipe they've made from another blogger's repertoire.  Nobody knows who's featuring their blog until that day and it's a fun chance to visit new blogs and try something different. Visit some of the other bloggers in my group by checking out the blog hop at the bottom of this post.  To learn more about Secret Recipe Club, click here. This month I was paired with a new blogger for our group, Patricia from ButterYum. Patricia has a lovely blog with lots of tasty eats, tips, tricks and ideas. As a self-taught cook who know teaches cooking classes, Patricia's recipes range from breakfast to dinner, salty to sweet to savory, and from appetizers to desserts. Plus, all of it looks super yummy. And I gotta love someone who appreciates butter with reckless abandon. As per usual, I ha my monthly debate of exactly which recipe to tackle from my assigned blog. Would it be Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies or a Vanilla Blueberry Banana Smoothie? Perhaps Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork or an Edamame Salad? Or maybe Giant Sugar Cookies or Zebra Popcorn? In the end chocolate won my heart (as so often happens) and I went with Chocolate Applesauce Muffins which were a special dedication as they were made by one of Patricia's children for Mother's Day. I made some small adjustments to the recipe, adding a bit of espresso powder and a touch of vanilla extract to enhance the richness of the chocolate flavor. Perfect additions, but I know these muffins would have been delicious even without those changes. Be sure to take a visit to say hello to Patricia over at ButterYum and take a look through the rest of this week's Secret Recipe Club Reveal in the bloghop below!

Chocolate Applesauce Muffins

 
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat butter until creamy, then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Stir in applesauce and vanilla to combine.

 
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt. 

Gradually stir flour mixture into applesauce mixture until just incorporated.

 
Lightly grease 18 muffin cups and divide batter among them. Note: I use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter.

 
Bake at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes or until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

 
Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pans and transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 18 muffins.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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