The best way to start the morning – chocolate with some healthy thrown in! These muffins are so silly simple to make and as a bonus are gluten free, vegan (of course), and yummy. I made this recipe for Recipe Redux, a great group of bloggers focused on healthy eating, and the theme this month is spring cleaning; go through your cupboards and find those things that need to be used up but just seem to be hanging out. The timing is perfect because I have been staring at this half filled bag of cranberries in my freezer since Christmas thinking how I’ve got to do something with them or they’ll be there till next winter.

So, here it is, a great use for leftover whole cranberries that is healthy, delicious and the perfect beginning to any morning. The muffins are hearty, nothing like those so-called muffins that are just cake disguised with some fruit. It’s like having a bowl of chocolate overnight oats in portable muffin form. Yum!

Flourless Chocolate Cranberry Blender Muffins (recipe adapted & veganized from Dashing Dish)

1 3/4 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup plain non-dairy yogurt (6oz)

1 cup hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups whole cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin or use muffin liners. In a food processor or blender, combine the oats, flax seed, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and pulse just a couple times to combine. Add the applesauce, yogurt, hot water and vanilla extract and blend until completely combined. The mixture will be very runny. That’s ok! Distribute the 1 cup cranberries between the muffin cups and then fill each cup with the batter. Top each muffin with the remaining cranberries and bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool completely and enjoy!

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