Cook Club: Chocolate banana muffins start your morning off right

Chocolate cake for breakfast, anyone?

That decadent morning meal is apparently a bonafide 2017 food trend prediction. As I read over lists of what food industry experts think we can expect to see a lot of on our plates this year, that one caught my eye.

Many trend articles link the idea with a Tel Aviv University study that associated eating dessert at breakfast with weight loss. Apparently people who indulged a bit during their morning meal felt less cravings later in the day. The study is from 2012, but who am I to let old research stop me from justifying a sweet treat? If science says I should eat chocolate cake for breakfast, I'm not going to argue.

That said, the more pragmatic side of my brain and my conscience was arguing for something healthier. So I decided to try to find a way to compromise; what about breakfast muffins that combine chocolate with a few things I might have for a more conventional breakfast?

Enter these chocolate muffins made with banana and Greek yogurt.

With just two tablespoons of coconut oil — substituted for butter — and less than a cup of sugar, plus wheat flour, my hope is these muffins are a fairly healthy morning pastry.

With both cocoa powder and chocolate chips, the treats offer a rich hit of morning chocolate that will hopefully make getting up and going just a little bit easier.

A few pro-tips to help this recipe along: First, when saving bananas in the freezer, peel them first before freezing. Secondly, don't over-stir — only mix them until they are just combined, or they will be too dense. And finally, wait until they are fully cool before storing, or condensation will gather inside the container, leading to soggy and sad muffins.

Chocolate for Breakfast banana muffins

1 egg

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup chocolate chips   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas. Add yogurt and egg and whisk until combined. Add coconut oil, vanilla and sugar and combine. Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Don't overmix, or the muffins will be too dense. Divide batter into muffin tins, filling each tin about 2/3 full — using a cookie or ice cream scoop works well. Bake on top rack 25 minutes, or until top has set and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before storing.

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