You would never know these green smoothie chocolate muffins have 2 cups of spinach in them! Share that secret with your friends and family after they’ve eaten a chocolate muffin. They will be amazed.
This recipe is the perfect way to sneak nutrient-dense greens into your life or into your children’s snacks. The chocolate flavour totally disguises the spinach. Why eat just a plain old chocolate muffin when you could take the health factor up a notch!
More Chocolate Recipes
- Buckwheat Flour Chocolate Muffins
- Raspberry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Buckwheat Crepes
- Tahini Hot Chocolate
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Cake Bars
Nutrition Notes
Spinach Nutrition Facts:
Spinach is known to provide iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamin C in good amounts. It also provides some beta carotene, potassium and folate.
Cocoa Powder Nutrition:
Cocoa powder is an excellent source of magnesium. The high amounts of magnesium present in chocolate may be one reason why people tend to crave chocolate when they’re stressed. Magnesium is considered an anti-stress nutrient that our body is often deficient in but needs in abundance.
Is Spelt flour good for you?
Spelt is an ancient grain that hasn’t undergone the level of hybridization of modern wheat. Spelt has higher amounts of protein and fibre and provides significant amounts of important nutrients like manganese, niacin, copper and phosphorus.
Some people who struggle to digest common wheat find spelt to be highly digestible. One reason for that could be that the gluten in spelt is water-soluble whereas the gluten in common wheat is not.
How to Make Green Smoothie Chocolate Muffins
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tin well or line with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a blender combine melted coconut oil, buttermilk and coconut sugar, eggs, lemon zest and spinach and blend to create a “green smoothie”.
Add the green smoothie to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix muffin batter. Stir in chocolate chips.
If you have time, allow the mixture to sit in the fridge for one hour as this will give the muffins a better rise. If time doesn’t allow, move ahead to the next step.
Distribute batter into the prepared muffin wells. If desired, top muffins with a few chocolate chips. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. (No need to open the oven door.) Continue to bake for 13-15 minutes. The total baking time is approximately 20 minutes. The muffins are ready when a cake tester comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
- This is a great way to sneak veggies into both your and your kids’ snacks! If you don’t tell them, they will seriously never know.
- The lemon zest in this recipe is optional. It just adds a subtle flavour and I think compliments the chocolate well.
- It’s thought that buttermilk creates lighter and fluffier muffins because the acidity in buttermilk works to break down the tough gluten protein in flour.
- Using fresh baking powder and baking soda is really important in baking. I recommend buying smaller containers of these baking ingredients and writing the date you open them on the box. They should be replaced every 4 months or so. Old baking powder and baking soda lose their effectiveness.
- Splurge for an organic lemon when you’re including the zest in a recipe!
- Be careful not to overmix muffin batter. Overmixing can result in dense muffins. Stir with a spoon until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are just combined.
- For a better rise, bake the muffins in the upper third of the oven.
More Recipes to Enjoy
No-Bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls
No-bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls are very quick to make and an excellent way to eat more carrots apart from eating a salad. This recipe includes warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with a hint of lemon and it will definitely remind you of carrot cake. Carrot Cake Energy Balls are perfect for an Easter time treat just when you’re in the mood for carrot cake. Or enjoy them as a snack in the fall with a spiced latte in hand for those cozy fall days.
Broccoli Goat Cheese Quiche Recipe
No-bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls are very quick to make and an excellent way to eat more carrots apart from eating a salad. This recipe includes warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger with a hint of lemon and it will definitely remind you of carrot cake. Carrot Cake Energy Balls are perfect for an Easter time treat just when you’re in the mood for carrot cake. Or enjoy them as a snack in the fall with a spiced latte in hand for those cozy fall days.
This is one of my favourite cookie recipes! They are chewy and delightfully chocolatey. These cookies taste delicious and feel indulgent all while being made with healthier ingredients like coconut sugar and spelt flour. I know you’re going to love them!
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Chocolate Spinach Muffins
Green Smoothie Chocolate Muffins
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups spelt flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 5 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted)
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 cups packed down spinach (or 60 grams)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs large
- zest from one lemon
- ½ cup chocolate chips (plus some to top the muffins if desired) (or ¾ cup if you really love chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tin well or line with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a blender combine melted coconut oil, buttermilk and coconut sugar, eggs, lemon zest and spinach and blend to create a "green smoothie".
- Add the green smoothie to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't over mix muffin batter. Stir in chocolate chips.
- If you have time, allow the mixture to sit in the fridge for one hour as this will give the muffins a better rise. If time doesn't allow, move ahead to the next step.
- Distribute batter into the prepared muffin wells. If desired, top muffins with a few chocolate chips. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. (No need to open the oven door.)
- Continue to bake for 13-15 minutes. Total baking time is approximately 20 minutes. The muffins are ready when a cake tester comes out clean.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix muffin batter. Overmixing can result in dense muffins. Stir with a spoon until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are just combined.
- For a better rise, bake the muffins in the upper third of the oven
- To help achieve a nice domed muffin top, I recommend baking the muffins at a higher temperature for 5 minutes before lowering the temperature to 350 degrees F for the remaining baking time.
Nutrition
If you make these Green Smoothie Chocolate Muffins please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I aim to respond to every single comment. I am so grateful when you trust me and try one of my recipe creations in your own kitchen. I love to hear how it went! Let’s connect on Instagram and tag me in your food pics!
'Till next time,
Paul D says
Looks tasty! Gotta try em!
Christy Faber says
Thank you! Gotta get that extra spinach in any way you can! 🙂
Kaili Reveles says
These sound so delicious!!! Putting on my “gotta try” list!!
Christy Faber says
Hope you love them!
Allison Welch says
Wow! These muffins are honestly so delicious, I can't get over it! You're so right when you say you'd never know they have spinach in them. I chilled the batter for about 3 hours in the fridge and they got a great rise - they looked like Costco muffins but I loved that they are healthier and homemade!
I also made them with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and half expected them to be dry and crumbly (like most gluten free baking I've had). I couldn't get over how moist they were, they didn't taste gluten free at all! So impressed with this recipe!
Christy Faber says
I'm so glad to hear that the recipe works well with gluten free flour! Thank you for sharing!
Will F. says
I love how easy these were to make! They also taste amazing...and you'd never know how much spinach was in them.
Christy Faber says
Yes! The perfect way to sneak in extra greens. Thank you for trying them!