Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

In continuing on in the theme of making snacks to replace the ones I previously bought my kids, I came up with this little muffin recipe.  It is a rework of a favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe in my repertoire.  I stopped making muffins from a box years ago, but hadn't used whole wheat or whole grain flours very regularly.  This recipe was originally for full sized muffins and made with all purpose flour.  I tweaked it a little to be 100% whole wheat and completely poppable into the mouth whole.

My kids used to love those little muffins you could buy that came about 5 to a pack.  I didn't buy them often because they were expensive, but as an occasional treat for their lunches, I would indulge when they were on sale.  No more!  The junk that was in those is crazy, especially when I can make these so easily and feel good about my kids eating them.  I usually make a big batch and then put three to a snack size baggie and then let them throw them in their lunches when they are packing them.  I often freeze them this way (in the baggies, then in a large Ziploc plastic container or another, larger zip top bag).  The kids will get them out the night before while packing their lunch, or the morning before school and they will be thawed by lunchtime.  A great, and relatively healthy sweet treat, for their lunch.  Everyone is happy!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
⅓ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Grease and flour mini muffin pans, or use mini muffin wrappers.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flours, sugars, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, thoroughly mix the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine slightly. Add melted butter and stir just until all ingredients are combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared pans (muffin cups about 3/4 full) and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until muffin tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely on rack.

Yield: about 40 mini muffins

You can make these as regular muffins, but the cook time will be longer.  You may also want to use regular sized chocolate chips with them.

Bagged mini muffins for lunches