Chocolate Orange Muffins

Sometimes you just need chocolate for breakfast.
Well, I suppose "need" isn't exactly the appropriate term, but I can sure feel like I need chocolate.
Just every day. Or so.
Hmmmm. Wonder what would happen if I tried to break the chocolate addiction.
I don't want to find out.

Now, I had a feeling I would like these muffins, because although I have never actually combined chocolate and orange in baking before personally, I have tried and enjoyed the chocolate-covered orange sticks from Trader Joe's....and maybe a few other chocolate orange confections over the years.

(Can I just say, I got so spoiled living near a Trader Joe's in VA.....I miss it like crazy around here.  But at least now I have Azure Standard.....that's a huge plus.)

But I honestly had no idea how great these would be.  They might even qualify as cupcakes....except if there's no frosting, I insist they can be eaten for breakfast.  Yes, I made a huge batch, because 12 little muffins are not going to tide my hungry crew over in the morning.  Corban can eat at least 5 on his own.  Unless I'm also serving hard boiled eggs.....then he might eat 4 eggs and 3 muffins.  He's only 9 years old.  Sheesh.

I modified the original recipe by decreasing the sugar a little, adding flaxseed, and using some applesauce in place of some oil.  They turned out so moist, tender, and perfectly delicious.

Annika (5) made the comment, "When you're eating really good food, it's like music."

I think she got that quote from Ratatouille....but it was just funny to hear a five-year old saying that at breakfast.  She's never said that before, so I guess the muffins made quite an impression.

They definitely fit in the category of "really good food" to us.

Chocolate Orange Muffins 
Yield: 24 muffins (can easily be halved)

3 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
4 t. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted expeller pressed coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
4 T. cocoa powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (for dark, nonstick pans) or 350 degrees for regular muffin tins. Line tins with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate medium-size bowl beat together the eggs, oil or butter, applesauce, buttermilk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix together just until moistened. Don’t over mix! 

Pour half of the batter into another bowl.  Sift the cocoa powder in to one of the bowls and fold in half of the chocolate chips. Fold the remaining chocolate chips into the other “white” bowl of batter.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the prepared muffin tins, alternating the orange and chocolate batters. Fill the cups 2/3 full. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 or 17-18 minutes at 325 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool the muffins for five minutes in the tins. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe