Happy Meatless Monday friends! I don’t know about you but I am loving all of the great summer fruits and veggies right now. The cherries are so juicy and amazing that I thought it was time for me to cook with them. I’ve reworked one of my favorite protein muffin recipes and added fresh cherries to the mix. Hope you enjoy these Chocolate Cherry Protein Muffins as much as I do. Yummy!
Muffins: super hard to photograph, super easy to eat 🙂
Please join Tina and I to check out all of the great Meatless Monday posts today. We love to read all of your link ups too and hope that you check out some of the others while you are here.
Cooking notes: I’ve used whole wheat flour and brown sugar splenda for baking. Feel free to substitute your favorite flours and sweeteners into the mix. I’ve also added unsweetened apple sauce to cut down on the needed sweetener and up the moistness. Using a good quality real dark chocolate makes all the difference. Hope you enjoy!
Chocolate Cherry Protein Muffins
Recipe Type: snack
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
A healthy chocolate cherry protein muffin perfect for snacks or breakfast
Ingredients
- 5 egg whites
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1 c whole wheat flour (or substitute)
- 2 scoops of your favorite chocolate protein powder
- 4 oz. unsweetened apple sauce
- 2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 c splenda brown sugar for baking
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 C reduced fat buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 oz high quality dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 c fresh cherries (cleaned and diced)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- line a muffin tin with paper or spray
- In a large bowl combine: flour, cocoa, protein powder, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate set aside
- In a small bowl whisk together oil, egg whites, buttermilk & vanilla. Add apple sauce
- Slowly add wet ingredients into dry ingredients
- Stir to combine -do not over mix
- Add cherries
- Equally divide between 12 muffin & bake appox 16-18 m
- Do not overcook
- Cool on wire rack
- Freeze in a ziploc for future use
I find these perfect for a pre or post workout snack with a little yogurt. Sometimes I have one with a cup of coffee as an afternoon snack as well. You can easily freeze them for future us as well. I had one on the dash of my car while running and came back to find a warm, gooey chocolate muffin. So good!!
Have you cooked with cherries? Did you know buttermilk doesn’t have butter in it?
Hmmm, I wonder if my magical aquafaba would work to replace those egg whites. Not sure about buttermilk though. These look really good!
I’ve never heard of that but let me know if you give it a try.
Oh, I am so excited about the cherries this summer!! These muffins look tasty and yes, I’ll have to try leaving one on my dashboard! #genius
Thanks so much for hosting!
ha ha it was a yummy accident!
I can not get enough of cherries right now. My fingers are stained purple! And paired with chocolate – genius!
Doesn’t get much better than that right!?
I agree…super hard to photograph! But these look delicious! Cherry and chocolate are one of my favorite combos!
They are a great combo!
These are so healthy, and they sound delicious! I always forget about that flavor combination….other than of course getting chocolate cherries themselves, which are always AHHHmazing! Great recipe friend….these may help in our final few weeks of healthy eating!
Thanks I think even Steve might like these 🙂
When i was a little kid, I didn’t understand what buttermilk was and took a big ole swig of it. THAT was a mistake! These look fantastic!
ha ha yea I wouldn’t recommend having it plain. LOl
My friend makes doulbe chocolate cherry cookies that use dried cherries. I’ve never baked with fresh cherries before, but yum!
they are so good! Hope you give it a try
Cherries in a muffin sound delicious! I made a cherry smoothie over the weekend. Forgot how much I love them!
me too they are so good right now!
I’lm all about some cherries lately! Dark chocolate is the perfect pairing! YUM!
sure is!
I have not cooked with cherries, although these sound very good. I have a chocolate zucchini bread recipe that I love. Haven’t done it in a while, this actually gives me an idea on getting more veggies into my boys who eat like crazy…
ooh that sounds good you should link up next Monday
I’m totally addicted to cherries but never thought to put them in a muffin! Yum!
Such a yummy combo 🙂
Yum, this looks delicious! I love the combination of cherries and chocolate. Though I’ve never cooked with cherries just because I’m too lazy to pit them. This recipe might change that 🙂
I do wish you could get someone to pit them for you!
I love cooking a big batch of muffins and freezing them. They’re the perfect snack! I’ve never cooked with cherries before… I’m a big blueberry lover so I usually use them for whatever recipe I am making!
I love blueberries too but thought I would see how the cherries went and they were delish!
I am not a fan of fresh cherries as much as frozen ones. Love chocolate and cherries together! Mmmm.
I am sure you could use frozen cherries as well. I love the combo as well.
Sounds yummy. I would much prefer a protein muffin then a protein shake.
Me too! So much more satisfying
I’ve been really into the chocolate/cherry combo lately. These sound so good!
They are a great combo!
YUM! I love the chocolate cherry (Black Forest) combo!!! These look and sound delicious! I will have to whip them up soon! I would today but I just made the girls another batch of muffins (which are also chocolate) that I will be posting soon.
Can’t have too much chocolate! Or can you 🙂 ?
I don’t really like fruit baked in stuff but those muffins look gooooooood!
Thanks you could do less or more. I didn’t really feel like they were over powering.
Oh yum! Chocolate and cherry go together, don’t they? And there are so many good ones out right now–my farmer’s market has had tons lately. Pinning this!
thanks and yes great combo for sure!
Yes please! And I’m getting cherries with my farm share this week! I’ve been dying to make muffins and always say I will and never do. These just may be too good to resist!
great I hope you give them a try. They are better warm!
Chocolate + cherry is such an awesome combo.
Sure is! Thanks
This is me drooling at work. These looks so great. I don’t usually like cherry in anything but I may have to give this a whirl. I’m starting to get behind this meatless Monday, just don’t tell my hubby 😉
lol! I wasn’t a big cherry person myself but wanted to go seasonal and I loved these. It is more of a subtle flavor. Hope you enjoy
I love the chocolate cherry combo and adding protein in there makes it a mini meal. I can see putting these in my kids lunch boxes.
Oh yeah I bet they would love it too!
Whole wheat muffins are one of my favorite snacks. And when there’s chocolate in them? So good!
It’s a great combo for sure!
I’m not a huge cherries fan, but I feel like substituting for blueberries could easily work.
totally and strawberries too!
Those sound yummy! I avoid splenda – do you think the same amount of sugar would work?
If you use reg sugar you would need to double it which is why I bake with splenda. I don’t like to use it except for these. You could try more applesauce?
YUM!! I want to make things. Can I use coconut flour instead?
You can but I do not know the exact amount for that flour if it is a one to one ratio.
Chocolate and cherries? Yes please! I cook with cherries a lot.
I am into them now. If you have other ideas let me know!
I can’t say no to muffins, and those look so good!
Either can I! thanks!
This look great and yes I will try them! I just had to laugh when I read that they were super hard to photograph. I’m going through this dilemma all the time as well. It’s so hard to capture the beauty of a muffin or a cupcake in photograph! 🙂
It is really hard to photograph food sometimes! I am learning though. Thanks for stopping by today
This recipe looks amazing! I have never tried cooking with cherries, but I love the flavor they give when they are dried in granola bars 😛 I’ve seen a lot of salad dressing recipes calling for buttermilk lately, it seems to be a really popular ingredient to amp up flavor. Probably worth a taking a lactose pill to try incorporating it!
ha ha it might be!!
cherries are everywhere down here! these look delicious! I like how you are using the warm weather to your advantage and warming up your snacks!
They were really good in the muffins!
Oh I love the chocolate cherry combo! Yum! Can you send me a dozen?
ha ha yes! If only you lived closer we could cook together
Yummy! Another fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks so much! Hope you try them!
Wow this looks delicious! When my dad gets brownies from costco I would always devour them, until I found out one brownie was like 200 calories and a ton of fat =( Will have to try making this healthier version!
I feel like you can healthy up almost any recipe!
I was literally going to comment “chocolate + cherry?! yes, please!” Then I read your click to tweet, hahaha! 🙂 Looks really yummy!
Thanks! They were yummy 🙂
I love anything that involves chocolate, but chocolate muffins WITH cherries just takes it to a whole other level. Thanks for sharing!
Pinning 😀
Well thanks so much! Hope you enjoy
I love anything with chocolate. Cherries are just… the cherry on top? Haha!
My grandfather used to drink buttermilk by the glass. *bleh*
ha yes! Really he drank it??
Cherries don’t last very long in my house! They are pretty muchgone the first day. These look delicious though!
Thanks so much hope you try them
HECK YES TO THE KICK OF PROTEIN IN THERE!!! 😀 😀 😀
Can’t beat that!
Yum definitely going to have to try these – love that you added protein powder, I’m all about trying to get that protein in lately!
Thanks! They are super yummy so that helps
The choc-cherry combo is one of my favorites! Cherry Garcia ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s, in particular ;). This looks delicious, Deborah!
Thanks! I am newly into cherries this summer-they are so sweet!