I’ve decided it’s time to start sharing a few Valentine’s recipes — starting with these low-fat chocolate cherry muffin tops. They’re an easy, crowd-pleasing treat and perfect whenever you want a little chocolate and cherry combo.
You could wait until February to make these, but honestly, I don’t recommend it. They’re delicious any time of year. Using yogurt instead of sour cream keeps the muffins tender inside while lowering the fat content, which I appreciate these days. My kids will skip cereal but happily eat muffins, so making them with yogurt makes me feel better about serving chocolate for breakfast. Of course, we enjoyed them at all hours—breakfast, an afternoon pick-me-up, before bed, or even as a midnight snack. These chocolate cherry muffins satisfy a chocolate craving whenever it hits.
The recipe is flexible: make them in a muffin top pan, a whoopie pie pan, or a regular muffin tin (baking times vary; see recipe notes). For the cherries, fresh ones work well if you prefer, but I love maraschino cherries. I often keep a jar in the fridge for sundaes and drinks and a spare jar in the baking cupboard. Jarred cherries hold their bright red color through baking, and pretty, vibrant baked goods always look more appetizing.
Just look at how puffy those muffin tops are — they’re begging for a bite.
Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Muffin Tops
Chocolate muffin tops made with yogurt, studded with chocolate chips and cherries.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and creamy. Add the maraschino cherry juice, egg, and Greek yogurt, and beat until combined.
- Sift together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and flour. Add these dry ingredients alternately with the coconut milk to the butter mixture, mixing gently until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped maraschino cherries by hand.
- Spoon a large tablespoon of batter into a greased muffin top pan or whoopie pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Makes 24 muffin tops.
Notes
If you don’t have a muffin top or whoopie pie pan, use a regular muffin tin and bake the muffins for about 18 minutes. This makes approximately 15 full muffins.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 161
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 18mg
Sodium: 152mg
Carbohydrates: 23g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 3g
Nutrition facts are estimates and not guaranteed to be accurate. For special dietary advice, consult a registered dietitian.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment or share a photo on your favorite social platform.
Looking for more chocolate muffins? Try one of these:
MOCHA MUFFINS
CHOCOLATE AVOCADO MUFFINS