Semi-virtuous, totally delicious recipe for Double Chocolate-Cherry Muffins

New Year's resolutions aside, cold weather makes me want to bake. That's why these sweetly satisfying muffins are semi-virtuous. After all, we're not even a month into the New Year, too early to abandon my good intentions.

When stirring up this recipe, I reached for more healthful versions of many ingredients -- white whole-wheat flour, which has all the nutrition of regular whole-wheat but is lighter in color and texture, plus nonfat milk and coconut oil, which is one of the more healthful oils. Cherries add flavor, moisture, vitamins and fiber. And chocolate is practically a health food, right? Even if it isn't, cocoa powder adds loads of chocolate flavor with a minimum of fat.


DOUBLE CHOCOLATE-CHERRY MUFFINS
Yield: 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process or 1/4 cup Dutch process and 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup nonfat or low-fat milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pitted fresh or frozen cherries or jarred cherries, well drained (don't use cherry pie filling)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Coarse sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

Melt coconut oil; let cool. In a large bowl, gently whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add cooled (but still liquid) oil; whisk until slightly frothy. Add dry ingredients; fold together just until well combined. Add cherries and chocolate chips; mix lightly but well.

Divide batter among muffin cups. (An ice-cream scoop coated with nonstick cooking spray works well.) If desired, sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any clinging crumbs. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Freeze any leftovers; warm slightly before serving.)

Each muffin contains 269 calories; 15g fat (11g saturated fat); 18mg cholesterol; 214mg sodium; 36g carbohydrate (4g fiber, 22g sugars), 5g protein.

Coconut-banana muffins are dairy-free

These muffins are loaded with ripe, sweet bananas and a triple dose of coconut -- coconut oil, coconut milk, and sweetened flaked coconut. What they don't have is even a trace of dairy.

Coconut oil is trendy right now, touted for its health benefits and sold in most supermarkets. You'll see two types, extra-virgin and refined. I used extra-virgin, which has a slight coconut flavor and a lovely coconut fragrance. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature. I found that melting it in the microwave gives the muffins a better texture. Follow the instructions and watch carefully so the oil doesn't heat up. If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute vegetable oil or melted butter, but the flavor and texture might be a bit different.

You also could substitute cow's milk for the coconut milk, but again, you'll lose a bit of coconut flavor. Regular and reduced-fat coconut milk is sold in cans in ethnic markets and many supermarkets, usually the section for Thai foods. You can refrigerate the leftover coconut milk -- you'll have about a cup left -- and use it in curries or even puddings.


COCONUT BANANA MUFFINS
Yield: About 12 muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

Place coconut oil in a glass bowl. Microwave on medium-low power (30 percent or defrost setting) for about 4 minutes or until oil liquefies and warms slightly. If oil is hot, set it aside until it cools.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, eggs, coconut milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

Using a wooden spoon, stir granulated and brown sugar into oil. Whisk in banana mixture. Add flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Don't overmix or the muffins will be tough. Gently stir in flaked coconut and chocolate chips

Scoop a scant 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with just a few clinging crumbs, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove muffins to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Copyright 2013 by Judith Evans. All rights reserved.