Double Chocolate Banana Bran Muffins

Don’t be mad.

I made you bran muffins.

But they’re double chocolate bran muffins, so we’re all good, right?

As I mentioned when I shared my Pineapple Lemonade Fruit Dip, I am making more of an effort to eat healthy now that I’m expecting our second child. I find at the beginning of my pregnancies that I am just so hungry all the time.

For the first 8 weeks or so, I eat an embarrassing amount of food.

And I know there are people who will respond, “you’re eating for two!” or “you’re growing a baby — your body needs it!” And I also know that they’re wrong.

A baby the size of a poppy seed does not need two full bowls of Chocolate Cheerios for an afternoon snack. Nor does a baby the size of a raspberry need a chili burger the size of my face and a bucket of fries.

Don’t peg me as a pregnancy diet extremist — I don’t deny myself food to avoid putting on the weight that is going to come anyway. I just try to make healthy swaps for the food I really want to eat. I try to choose food that is packed full of protein and fiber, so that hopefully I can go an hour or two between meals.

That being said, since I got it in my head to make some bran muffins the first time this pregnancy, I have renewed my love interest with bran.

I know that seems super lame, but as a hungry-(at times hangry)-trying-to-be-healthy pregnant woman, I am loving the list and amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein. Especially the all-important Iron.

But I felt like a post about regular old bran muffins wouldn’t do so well.

Like maybe you wouldn’t share my enthusiasm.

So I made them chocolate. Double chocolate. With banana. And chocolate.

And I sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top to distract from all the healthy stuff inside.

And they are seriously delicious. I’m not even lying to you, to make myself feel better about snacking on bran muffins for the next 6 months. They are moist and chocolatey and banana-y.

And they have chocolate chips. Just saying.

My 2 year old devoured two before bed. And I’m pretty sure she would have kept working on them if I hadn’t stopped her.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 16 muffins

Rich, fudgy bran muffins featuring chocolate and banana -- so good you could eat them for dessert! I promise you can't even taste the bran ;)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 large overripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus additional for top if desired

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let sit 3-4 minutes until soft.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pans with about 16 paper liners.
3. Add bananas to bowl and mash with a whisk. Whisk in egg, applesauce and brown sugar.
4. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Stir in with a spatula. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Ladle into prepared muffin pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (Mine baked exactly 19 minutes) until a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean.
6. Let cool to room temperature (you can dive in before that, but the paper liners are difficult to remove from warm muffins!).

Adapted from All Bran.