Happy Birthday {Healthier} Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

5 from 2 votes

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Rich and chocolaty, but made with a few healthy ingredients, whether you want a slightly decadent breakfast or a slightly healthier treat, any kid (or adult) would love to celebrate with or just snack on Happy Birthday {Healthier} Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting.

Happy Birthday {Healthier} Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

{Healthier} Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins (or turn them into cupcake muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting | cupcakesandkalechips.com | #breakfast #snack #dessert #cupcakes

I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet because this weekend is all about The Bug. He turns FOUR today! I can’t believe these years have gone by so fast. This kid is truly amazing, and I’m often kicking myself for the times when I don’t recognize and appreciate it as much as I should. I mean, he is going through a bit of a phase. He is doing a little yelling and demanding and grabbing things and acting out and exerting his will and throwing a tantrum when he doesn’t have total control or attention. But when I step back, I realize that most of the bad behaviors stem from the traits that are so amazing – his intelligence, attention to detail, independent nature, awareness of himself, passion, curiosity, creativity, imagination. And when he demonstrates these traits in a positive way, it is just so incredible to watch and experience. He became interested in Star Wars, but doesn’t have any of the toys, so imagined that his Toy Story and other Disney toys were the Star Wars characters. We’ve had lengthy discussions about the motivations of the characters in the The Little Mermaid. He remembers the smallest details of conversations you had weeks ago, so there’s no pulling any punches with him. He ends every night with Daddy (or occasionally Mommy) reading him a book, then him telling his own stories.

And he is only four. I can’t wait to see what the future holds, and the person he will become.

So this weekend is truly a weekend to celebrate this little boy. Today we are off to buy him a bike, and for dinner he requested eggs, fruit salad, and English muffins. And when I asked what he wanted for dessert, he wanted make-your-own sundaes. Saturday he wanted to go to Sesame Place. And Friday was his party at school.

And parties at school call for cupcakes…

{Healthier} Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Cupcake Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting | cupcakesandkalechips.com | #breakfast #snack #dessert #cupcakes

Except his snack time at school, and thus his party, are at 10 am. So that calls for muffins…

{Healthier} Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins | cupcakesandkalechips.com | #breakfast #snack #dessert

Yeah, I’m that mom. I know they’ve had 10 am cake and cupcakes for eleven other birthdays this year, and we’ve all survived, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. You know, get a roomful of four-year-olds hopped up on sugar for that last hour that probably feels like two for their poor, sweet, angelic teachers, and then send them home to unsuspecting parents.

So they got muffins.

But you know, they were Double Chocolate Chip Muffins. I adapted this recipe from food.com, increased the quantities to make a big enough batch for the whole class, and secretly made them healthier with white whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and a leeeeeetle less sugar, but still plenty of chocolate…

{Healthier} Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins | cupcakesandkalechips.com | #breakfast #snack #dessert

Disguised as cupcakes with the addition of a little Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting. There you go… CUPCAKE MUFFINS!!

{Healthier} Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Cupcake Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting | cupcakesandkalechips.com | #breakfast #snack #dessert #cupcakes

Who wants to wish my kid a big old HAPPY BIRTHDAY with me?

Double chocolate chip muffins made with greek yogurt.
5 from 2 votes

{Healthier} Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich Double Chocolate Chip Muffins can be served for breakfast or a snack. Either way, they're made with healthier ingredients and topped with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting for a special treat!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Total: 36 minutes

Ingredients

For the muffins:

  • 3 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

For the Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting (optional):

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature (I used light cream cheese)
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

For the muffins:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Line 22-24 muffin cups with cupcake liners, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar.
  • In another bowl, add the milk, Greek yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  • Add the wet ingredients and 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the dry ingredients, and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
  • Divide the batter between the muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
  • Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the muffin batter in the pans.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool pan on a wire rack for several minutes, then remove the muffins from the pans to the rack to cool completely.
  • If desired, while cooling, prepare the Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting, and, when completely cool, frost the muffins.

For the Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting:

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and whip with a hand mixer until smooth.
Nutrition Facts
{Healthier} Double Chocolate Chip Muffins with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting
Amount Per Serving
Calories 256 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 6g30%
Trans Fat 0.04g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 287mg12%
Potassium 198mg6%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 201IU4%
Vitamin C 0.04mg0%
Calcium 77mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

Categories:

Enjoy!

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And here are some from my friends…

7 Comments
  1. Brianne, I hope you had a wonderful weekend with your son! It sounds like you had a lot of nice things planned. I am really loving these muffins. I admit that I like a little sweetness with my coffee in the morning, so these would be just great! I am that mom too- I send in whole wheat pumpkin chocolate chip muffins all of the time for birthday treats! Actually the children like it because of course it has the chocolate! These muffins are definitely on my to do list next week. Have a great weekend and a wonderful Mother’s Day:)

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