Am I a bad Mom because I let my kids eat chocolate for breakfast?  That thought definitely crossed my mind as I was making these muffins this weekend.  My older daughter has been on a muffin kick for a while now, it started with her braces, and has just continued because it is so much easier to pop a muffin in your mouth before heading to the bus stop, then to pour a bowl of cereal.  She also claims that a muffin fills her up more – and I believe her.  Particularly when they are big and hearty.

So I found these muffins in Cooking Light last month – and I guess I was not the only one.  My daughter will usually grab the magazine before I have a chance to read it; she likes to get a preview of the food she will be eating – which I find absolutely hilarious.  So last month I guess she took this issue – and saw these muffins.  Now, instead of cutting out the recipe and putting it in my recipe pile herself – or even telling me that she was hoping I would make them, she just kept all that information to herself.  She had a ton of homework this weekend, so I decided on Sunday to make her a batch of muffins for the week.  At some point she asked me what I was making, and she got a big smile on her face as she said, “Oh good, I was hoping you would make those!!  I just didn’t think you would let me eat them for breakfast!”

I normally don’t look at the reviews online before making something – it takes all the fun out it.  But this time when I cut out the recipe, I cut out a little too much – and had to go online to check on the baking time.  Needless to say, no one liked these muffins online.  They weren’t sweet enough, they were too dry, they went on and on.  So – I was not expecting much.  Maybe my girls are just not that picky when it comes to eating chocolate for breakfast – but they LOVED these!  They warm them up in the microwave for 15 seconds just to soften them up in the morning, and 3 days later, they are still loving them.  Go figure.  Ok, so bad Mom, or Mom of the Year?

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 1 1/2 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)