***Recipe and photos updated August 13th, 2022***

Happy Sunday everyone! Berry season is right around the corner and the selection at the grocery store is already perking up 🙂 If you know me, you know I love me some berries. And you know, sometimes you just want to eat chocolate for breakfast…so I combined them. Because why not? Chocolate covered strawberries are totally thing outside of Valentine’s Day.

If you’ve been following along with the recipes here at PBF, you know that I am totally an oatmeal muffin fiend. They’re so easy to meal prep for the week and are seriously yummy. Since I cut out dairy at the beginning of the year though, I’ve been mostly making overnight oats…which are delicious BUT I always find myself wanting oatmeal muffins! I finally decided to give them a whirl with a plant-based protein.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Name: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats ((160 grams)); 2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant-Based Chocolate Protein Powder ((64 grams)); 1/2 cup Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate (62% Cocao), cut into chunks ((70 grams)); 3 tbsp dutch cocoa powder ((17 grams)); 1 tsp instant espresso; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped ((220 grams)); 1 cup unsweetened applesauce ((244 grams)); 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk ((5.33 fl oz)); 2 egg whites; 2 tbsp maple syrup ((1 fl oz)); 2 tbsp Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, melted ((32 grams)); 1 tsp vanilla extract; pinch salt

Rolled oats – I love to see the whole oats in my oatmeal muffins, but don’t worry – they’re baked to perfect tenderness! Other types of oats like quick oats or steel cut oats will behave differently, so I don’t recommend swapping this ingredient.

Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.

Applesauce – Adds volume, sweetness, and moisture without watering the muffin batter down. Runny muffin batter will lead to totally flat muffins, which no one wants.

Egg whites – These are the glue that bring the dough together and add a bit of protein too.

Protein powder – I used a plant based protein powder in this recipe. If you don’t have vegan protein or don’t want to buy it, I recommend using a whey/casein blend instead. Whey alone tends to yield a chewy baked product that doesn’t rise nearly as much, but it’s okay to use in a pinch. If you opt for a dairy based protein powder, you’ll need to cut down on the almond milk to about 1/2 cup.

Dutch cocoa powder – For maximum meltiness, I highly recommend buying a dark chocolate bar (find them in the baking section) and chopping it up yourself. Sure, you could buy pre-made chocolate chunks, but they are usually coated with something to keep them from sticking. That interferes with melting and nobody wants that!

Espresso powder – I love using espresso powder in chocolate baking recipes because it really helps strengthen and highlight the chocolate flavor.

Baking powder – This gives the muffins a good rise as they cook, plus helps add air in the final muffins, meaning they’re less dense.

Baking soda – This helps the muffins rise much like the baking powder, but it also helps them get that beautiful golden brown color.

Strawberries – Raspberries would work well paired up with the chocolate too. Fresh or frozen will work just fine!

Chocolate chunks – For maximum meltiness, I highly recommend buying a dark chocolate bar (find them in the baking section) and chopping it up yourself. Sure, you could buy pre-made chocolate chunks, but they are usually coated with something to keep them from sticking. That interferes with melting and nobody wants that!

Maple Syrup – You need a bit of sweetness to bring out those chocolatey flavors.

Peanut butter – Adds some much needed fat to the muffins, keeping them from being dry and crumbly. You could also just use the egg yolks or opt for another nut butter, but I like the bit of extra sweetness that comes from the peanut butter.

Vanilla extract – Like salt in a savory dish, vanilla tends to enhance the flavors of a sweet recipe.

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Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 jumbo muffins

Calories per serving 272 kcal

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats (160 grams)
2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Plant-Based Chocolate Protein Powder (64 grams)
1/2 cup Scharffen Berger Dark Chocolate (62% Cocao), cut into chunks (70 grams)
3 tbsp dutch cocoa powder (17 grams)
1 tsp instant espresso
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped (220 grams)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (244 grams)
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (5.33 fl oz)
2 egg whites
2 tbsp maple syrup (1 fl oz)
2 tbsp Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, melted (32 grams)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange jumbo parchment muffin liners inside jumbo muffin tin. Set aside.
Mix all dry ingredients except chocolate chunks, then add wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chunks. Scoop batter evenly into baking cups.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean.