“More and more research shows that chocolate is good for you. It’s a mood elevator. It contains a lot of antioxidants and will keep us younger. It’s good for your heart and acts like aspirin. It keeps your cholesterol low.“
— Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, Jacques Torres
Recently, I discovered a sourdough double chocolate muffin recipe from the website, Little Spoon Farm. The first time I made them, I was thrilled by how rich and chocolatey they were! They were butter-free (using oil instead) and also contained “discard” sourdough (that I can never discard).
These delicious muffins appeal to my chocolate cravings and may even be beneficial to my health. I would like to believe Jacques Torres is correct when he shares that chocolate is “good for your heart”. As a home baker with moderate LDL cholesterol, I want to continue baking and enjoying assortments of treats, pastries, and bread. This desire encouraged me to experiment with reducing the saturated fat in Little Spoon Farm’s muffin recipe. Would it taste just as delicious as the original version?
Instead of sour cream, I exchanged it with the same portion of low-fat yogurt and replaced cow milk with oat milk. Finally, I replaced 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of walnuts (healthy fat). Such simple changes were easy to do. These changes seemed to modify the taste only slightly with excellent results.
Whether or not you modify this recipe, these double chocolate muffins are amazing. I want to ensure that this recipe is a keeper in my collection.
Check out the recipe link below and learn about the world-famous Jacques Torres! — Carole
Vermont Food Librarian 