Protein muffins are my salvation. I have one thing in common with people living with Alzheimer’s, or at least, I hope it’s only one! I love sugar and without my having learned how to bake smarter, I’d be consuming too many sweet treats.  Once I got back into more intense workouts I needed something healthy to eat after a workout. Sometimes I eat these instead of dessert!

These muffins are not as sweet as a cupcake but they do help calm a screaming sweet tooth. If you’re loved one doesn’t care for them the way the recipe calls for them to be made, you can try adding a little more sugar or, even easier, “frost” them with some Nutella and see if that doesn’t satisfy their need for quick fuel.

These muffins have protein and some veggies, so they’re definitely a huge improvement over cake.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of whole wheat, or white whole wheat flour

2 scoops of chocolate protein powder

1/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder (or whatever brand you like)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

(Wet ingredients)

2 eggs

1/8 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar (I’ve used white but I’m going to try dark brown or molasses to see if I can get more sweet without adding more sugar)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup of unsweetened Almond milk (mine is lightly sweetened) I’m sure you can use whichever milk you prefer

1 cup shredded zucchini (squeeze out the excess liquid in a paper towel)

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 350º, coat a muffin tin however you make it non-stick

Grate a medium zucchini until you get about 1 cup (don’t skimp). Wrap in a towel and squeeze out excess moisture. There is usually quite a bit. Set it aside.

Mix together dry ingredients.

Beat the eggs, oil, and sugar together. Then add the remaining wet ingredients and stir/fold everything together. Be careful not to over stir.

Fold in the grated zucchini, chocolate chips, and milk. If the batter is really thick add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Spoon everything into the muffin cups, top with a few chocolate chips, and bake for 22-25 minutes. These can be a little dry so start on the shorter cooking time.