Over the past 2 weeks, it seems like my diet has primarily consisted of cookies and things smothered and covered in some sort of cheese. To be clear, I’m not really complaining about that (I love my cheese and sweets,) but I realize that a continued pattern of eating those fatty foods is going to wreck havoc on my waistline and on my health in general.
So in order to get some green back into my diet, I’ve been eating a whole lot of spinach here lately. I love spinach WAY more than lettuce (not to mention it’s way healthier than lettuce,) so I don’t have much of a problem eating it as a salad. My problem is that I’m sort of anti-leftovers and I get burned out on foods very quickly. When I say I’m anti-leftovers, I really mean that I’m not crazy about eating something as a leftover more than once. I can eat something twice, but then my taste buds have to move on!
So imagine my distaste when I opened up the fridge and realized that I STILL needed to eat all of this green leafy stuff before it went bad. I knew my body needed it, but my taste buds did not! So I started brainstorming of ways that I could sneak it into foods that I already really love. Like…ya know, chocolate! 😀
When I’m not scarfing down a bowl of cereal in the morning, I’m probably eating a muffin of some sort. I really love to bake muffins at the beginning of the week and munch on them all week long. It’s a total win for me because it means I only cook breakfast once! I figured there must be some way that I could sneak in a little spinach into my morning muffin, so I gave it a shot and came up with something INSANELY delicious! These Chocolate Chip Spinach Muffins are a new favorite in my house, and they’re a great way to sneak in veggies into my toddler’s diet, too!
I grabbed my trusty kitchen herb shears and started chopping up a few handfuls of spinach. (I had a little bit of kale that needed using up, so I threw that in, too!) I tried to incorporate a few healthier options like coconut oil and a banana into the mix, too. I’m not implying that these chocolaty muffins are completely healthy, but I AM saying that they’ve got some pretty great stuff in them. They’re also pretty good for the soul, too. 😉
The texture of these muffins was absolutely perfect. So moist and rich! It was almost like eating a brownie without all of the guilt. That’s my kind of muffin!
Here’s my complete recipe for you to try if you’re feeling up to it. If you do decide to make a batch for yourself, I’d love to hear about how yours turned out!
Chocolate Chip Spinach Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar can sub in stevia or alternative sweetener if desired
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 mashed banana
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (excluding spinach)
- In a separate bowl, melt coconut oil and add in remaining wet ingredients, including banana and spinach - mix well
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together well until all flour is completely dissolved
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place muffin cups in a muffin pan and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray
- Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center
- Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?
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Now that I know that I can sneak some greens into my favorite foods without it being detected, I’m going to be on a serious search for some other “hidden veggie” recipes to try! In the mean time, I’m just going to curl up with my glass of milk and have one more of these bad boys… 🙂
Do you have a recipe that incorporates veggies into a food you’d never think to put veggies in? Or maybe you’ve tried a recipe before that completely hides the veggies all together? If so, I’d love for you to share the love with me! I’m always looking for something new and delicious to try!
I found your recipe on Pinterest and made them today! I have a three year old that isn’t very picky but hates spinach (or “salad” as she calls it) and a one year old that basically hates everything. Also, they’re both mildly anemic like I am and their pediatrician suggested I get them to get more spinach – easier said than done. Both of them devoured these! My husband and I also enjoyed them. Definitely a hit at our house and I’ll be making them often. Thank you. Do you have any other hidden veggie recipes? 🙂
Is there anything I can sub for coconut oil??
Hi Emily,
Subbing in melted butter in place of the coconut oil should be just fine! Same measurements. Hope that helps!
I tried these for the first time this afternoon on a whim – my kids (aged 3, 5 & 7) aren’t big muffin (not to mention spinach) eaters unfortunately. But wow! They devoured them and then asked for seconds, which quite literally has never happened in the history of me making muffins. I may have told them they were “chocolate brownie cups”…..but hey, call them what I may, they bought it and LOVED them! I decided to purée the banana with the spinach so that nothing was detectable, and that worked great. So chocolately and so moist. Thank you!
Hi Melissa, I’m SO happy to hear that these muffins were such a huge hit! And brilliant move pureeing the banana and spinach. Kudos to you!
Do you have the nutritional information for these? They are fabulous!
Can these be frozen?
Yes, and they should last for a couple of months that way.
Yes! I make these all the time and just pop them into the freezer after they’ve cooled. They make great additions to lunch boxes!
I have been searching for recipes for my super picky 4 year old and foumd these. I just finished making them. Goodness are they super good!!! Thank you so much!
We make these weekly in our house! Thank you so much for sharing. The only thing we changed up was adding one more banana, which made them a little less crumbly for our littlest one. These are requested every morning in our house!
Do these have to be refrigerated?
I don’t, unless I feel they won’t be eaten in a timely manner. They’re fine to sit in an air tight container on the counter for a few days! They can also be frozen if desired.
What can I substitute for cooking spray on the liners?
You can use a light coating of melted butter to achieve a non-stick coating. Alternatively, you can skip this since you’re using liners, but know that the breading may peel a tad when you remove the liner.
Curious if anyone else’s muffins turned out a bit dense and dry? The taste was otherwise good (and the spinach went undetected by my toddler)!
Hi Brittany,
I’m so sorry you muffins were dense and on the dry side! This could happen for a number of reasons – different brand ingredients, difference in ovens, etc. Just make a note to decrease the bake time by a minute or two if you decide to bake them again. I’m glad your toddler couldn’t pick out the “green stuff!” That’s always a #momwin in our house!
I’m ashamed that it’s taken me this long to thank you for this recipe… I am having trouble putting into words how much my family and I have LOVED these muffins for the past 5 years. This is my go-to recipe that I know by heart. It’s my very favourite food to share with people and they always ask for the recipe!
My husband and kids get so excited when I make them and I still cannot believe how delicious they are for having so much spinach (I use a huge tub when I double the recipe) and so little sugar/chocolate chips. My friend calls them the “salad muffins”! When I bring them to a gathering, I tell people I’m bringing spinach muffins that taste like chocolate cupcakes.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This recipe is 10 stars out of 5!