Enjoy These Chocolate Muffins Like the Olympic Athletes

August 6, 2024

Courtesy of Well Plated

The Summer Olympics has been so much fun and inspiring — the athletes, the personal triumphs, the incredible achievements… the chocolate muffins.

Along with all the headlines about the competitions, there’s “the muffin man,” Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who’s grabbed attention for his TikTok takes on some of the food available for athletes staying in the Olympic Village. His favorite, a chocolate muffin, has been his fixation since first posting about it on July 25.

Chocolate muffins: Breakfast of champions?

The muffins took the Paris Olympic Village by storm: Sodexo Live!, the company catering for the 15,000 athletes living in the Village, told People magazine that they are likely to serve 100,000 of the gooey chocolate muffins through the Olympics and Paralympics.

Though all those elite athletes can down chocolate muffins with abandon, for most of us, it’s more of a sometimes-treat. “Muffins can be a healthy breakfast or snack option, but it depends on the individual’s nutritional needs and goals, as well as the ingredients used and portion size,” says Avery Zenker, RD, MS. But commercially produced ones are “usually high in sugar and fat, and low in protein and fiber, a combination that can have you feeling hungry soon after.”

But making your own means you choose the ingredients, so you can whip up chocolate muffins that taste indulgent, but actually fuel you — if not for a gymnastics competition, at least for your own sprint of a day.

“Making homemade muffins provides the opportunity to choose your ingredients and nutritional profile that are aligned with your goals,” Zenker says. “Cacao beans are high in flavanols, which have antioxidant properties and are known for their impact on reducing inflammation and supporting heart health. Cacao is also rich in minerals, including iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. It also contains some fiber.”

Healthier chocolate muffin recipes

We gathered 5 better-for-you recipes, to suit any kind of eating style.

1. Healthy Chocolate Muffins

Utilizing whole wheat flour, banana, and yogurt, this recipe improves the nutritional profile of muffins in a few ways. “Whole wheat flour retains the bran and germ parts of the grain, making it richer in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants,” says Zenker. Fiber, in particular, can promote fullness and help manage blood sugar.

“Using natural sweeteners, like bananas, can be a great way to limit the amount of refined sugar in muffins,” Zenker says. “Adding protein, such as in yogurt, can help make muffins feel more satiating, and can help you meet your daily protein goals.” Both of these ingredients also add moisture, so your chocolate muffins will still have that fudgy texture.

Try this recipe from Well Plated.

2. Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

With zucchini, banana (or applesauce), and whole-wheat pastry flour, these dairy-free chocolate muffins are moist and luscious. “Adding veggies like grated zucchini, grated carrot, or pumpkin puree can be a great way to get in some more veggies,” says Zenker. “This can be helpful when feeding children who are picky eaters.”

When shopping, check the label and choose natural cacao powder, instead of Dutch process, if you can find it. “The processing method used impacts the flavanol content of cacao,” she notes. “Alkalizing cocoa — also known as dutch processing — has been found to reduce flavanol content by up to 90%.”

Try this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen.

3. Gluten Free Healthy Chocolate Muffins

With oat flour and hazelnut butter, these sophisticated muffins have fantastic flavor — and they’re gluten free. “Nut and seed butters add healthy fats, minerals, fiber, and protein,” Zenker says. Hazelnut, with its robust, roasty notes, goes particularly well with chocolate.

Plus, these muffins are only sweetened with banana, and no additional sweeteners. “Fruits such as banana add natural sweetness, and vanilla extract can enhance the flavor of muffins without adding extra sugar or calories,” Zenker adds.

Try this recipe from The Modern Nonna.

4. Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Dairy free, made with whole-wheat flour, and brimming with both cacao powder and chocolate chips, these muffins are so rich and decadent, you won’t believe they’re healthier than typical baker muffins.

While this and many recipes call for coconut or canola oil, you can also use olive or avocado oils, which are “rich in monounsaturated fats and well known for their benefits to heart health,” Zenker says.

Try this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

5. Keto Chocolate Muffins

Just because you’re low carb doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the chocolate muffin fun. With a mix of almond and coconut flours, these muffins have just 10 grams of carbs each, and 5 grams of fiber. Plus, the recipe calls for granulated sweetener, so “you can use sugar-free sweeteners if you prefer, such as stevia, monk fruit, or allulose,” Zenker says.

This recipe also calls for three eggs and a bit of yogurt to up the protein content, and dark chocolate chips — at least 85% cocoa.

Try this recipe from Sugar Free Londoner.