Double Chocolate Protein Forward Muffins (No Protein Powder Required!)

What do you do if you don’t tolerate the bounty of protein powders out there (in so many amazing flavors, btw) but still want to make tasty, protein forward bakes? Well, you get busy in the kitchen creating a protein forward chocolate muffin that skips those powders (they can also be a bit pricey) and lean into using other real food ingredients that still deliver protein and also taste scrumptious!

If you’ve been clicking around Back Porch Paleo and happen to notice a lot of muffins, there’s a very good reason! These Double Chocolate Protein Forward Muffins are another installment in my “Muffin to It” collection. Muffins are one of our family’s most favorite bakes, so I’ve made plenty over the years and this one might just be my favorite yet.

You’ve heard the saying “have your cake and eat it too” right? Well, this is my offering along those lines, with a “getting your protein in and still enjoying a muffin too” kind of vibe. We all know that hitting our protein goals doesn’t usually involve baked goods, but I’m determined to make that a reality, one muffin at a time.

Why I Created These Muffins

With so many of us needing to meet our protein goals these days, these practically begged to be created. I’ve been on a GLP-1 for almost two years now. I began micro dosing back in Fall 2024 and hit my 100th week milestone recently, so protein has been very much on my mind throughout this journey. I’m always doing my best to hit my protein goals each day. However, since my gut doesn’t jive with any of the plethora of protein powders out there, I had to pivot and find another way.

These muffins are my answer to that, and I think they just might be yours too.

What Makes These Muffins Protein Forward?

There are a few scrumptious ingredients working together to get these muffins pretty near 8-9 grams of protein per muffin. The largest contributors are:

Hemp hearts: these little seeds are a complete protein and the most significant protein contributor in this recipe. They blend right into the batter without altering the flavor, especially with all that gorgeous chocolate doing the heavy lifting. Manitoba Harvest is a great brand of hemp hearts!

Further Food Unflavored Collagen Peptides: completely flavorless and dissolve invisibly into the batter. This is a workhorse ingredient here and one I rely on regularly. I’ve been using Further Food Collagen and products for almost a decade, so they’re always my go to brand.

Organic Valley Protein Plus Whole Milk: this is a newer product and such a smart one. It delivers 50% more protein than regular milk with 50% less sugar, and it is lactose free. It swaps seamlessly into baking without changing texture or flavor one bit. We are LOVING it here in our home!

Eggs: a classic, reliable protein source that also give these muffins their lovely structure.

Almonds: the optional but highly encouraged nut addition that bumps the protein count while adding a beautiful texture contrast and that classic chocolate-almond pairing we all love.

Now, am I suggesting you eat a muffin every day to get your protein goals met? Absolutely not! However, what I am hoping to do with this “Muffin to It” series is provide another opportunity to get your protein in while still enjoying a real, satisfying baked good every now and then.

A Note on the Protein Count

The protein count listed in this recipe (approximately 8-9g per muffin at a 12 muffin yield) is based on the specific brands called out in the ingredient list. Different brands of collagen, hemp hearts, or milk can vary quite a bit in protein content, so if you swap brands your count may shift slightly. Always worth checking the labels on the products you’re using!

Choose Your Nut: A Protein Guide

One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make it your own simply by swapping in your favorite nut. Here’s a quick breakdown of how common nuts stack up on the protein front at a 3/4 cup serving, so you can choose based on what suits your needs and your taste buds!

A few things worth keeping in mind as you choose: chop larger nuts roughly so they distribute evenly through the batter. Smaller nuts like pistachios and pine nuts can go in whole or with just a rough chop. And toasting your nuts lightly before adding them to the batter is completely optional but adds a lovely depth of flavor that is hard to argue with! If you add nuts on top as a garnish, don’t use toasted nuts or they will be burnt by the time the baking is done. Use raw nuts up on top for a better garnish!

Gluten Free Option

Need a gluten free option? Feel free to use a 1:1 sub like King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Both should work well here since they’re formulated to substitute standard all purpose flour in most baked good recipes. I always suggest test baking with a half batch just in case, this way you’re not risking as many ingredients if the results need tweaking.

How to Make Double Chocolate Protein Forward Muffins

Double Chocolate Protein Forward Muffins (No Protein Powder Required!)

Recipe by Michelle

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

23

minutes

Ingredients

• muffin

• 1¾ cup Lehi Mills flour, sub your fav AP flour, or see above for g/f options

• 1⅛ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• ¾ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp am.nicolli vanilla baking salt

• 3 tbsp Further Food unflavored collagen

• ½ cup hemp hearts

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• ¾ cup almonds, roughly chopped (optional, but if omitted will lower the protein)

• 1 cup Organic Valley Protein Plus Whole Milk, room temperature

• 1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh (can sub apple cider vinegar as needed)

• ½ cup butter, salted, melted & slightly cooled

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 ½ tsp vanilla paste

• optional garnish

• Chocolate chips

• Sliced almonds

• sugar

Directions

• Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, collagen, hemp hearts, chocolate chips and almonds to a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together to fully combine, set aside.
• In another mixing bowl, add milk and lemon juice then stir to combine. Let this set for 5 minutes to become “buttermilk” – following that, add melted/cooled butter and vanilla paste to the buttermilk mixture and whisk to fully combine.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and using a rubber spatula, stir everything together – being sure to scoop from the bottom up to ensure you’re getting all the dry ingredients incorporated well. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow batter to hydrate and rest for 20 minutes and preheat your oven to 425°F. Prepare muffin tins by lining with parchment liners.
• Once batter has rested, scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, you should get 12 large muffins or 14 regular sized muffins. If you don’t add chocolate chips or nuts, please see note below.
• If you want to add a few additional chocolate chips and almonds to the top, now is the moment. Add those before you sprinkle on any additional sugar on top as well. The garnish on top is of course optional, but I like to think the muffin top is a visual queue as to what you’re going to get on the inside of that muffin.
• Place muffin tin into your preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F – after 5 minutes, IMMEDIATELY turn your oven down to 385°F (no need to open the oven door) and bake for an additional 14-15 minutes or until muffin top bounces back when lightly touched.
• Remove from the oven, allow muffins to cool in the tins for 4 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Enjoy right away or store at room temperature for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Notes

• If you choose not to use any chocolate chips or nuts in your recipe, that is totally fine. Just know that you will get fewer muffins this way since adding those to the batter increases the amount of batter you end up with.
• These do freeze beautifully, simply place that cooling rack filled with cooled muffins inside a baking sheet and slide into your freezer. Once muffins are individually frozen, place them in a freezer safe zipper bag and store in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, remove as many as you are needing and either allow them to come to room temperature and enjoy or microwave for 45-55 seconds to warm them back up.