Healthy Chocolate and Vegetable Mini Muffins

I developed this for a friend with a picky 3 year old. I had made some very healthy bran muffins that my girls enjoyed, but her son wouldn't touch. So I added some chocolate, and a bit more sugar, but left all the healthy stuff in there, too. The nutritional information on these is very encouraging! Updated to say these are much better if you use 70% cocoa dark chocolate.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 36 mini muffins

Ingredients

• 2⁄3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1  cup  oat bran
• 1  cup rolled oats
• 1⁄3 cup cocoa powder
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 cup sugar (depending on how mean a mummy you are)
• 1  egg
• 1  cup yoghurt (I use lightly sweetened vanilla yoghurt)
• 2  tablespoons canola oil
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 cup  cooked and mashed  butternut squash or 3⁄4 cup sweet potato
• 1  medium zucchini, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 100  g  bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (about 4 oz) or 100  g chocolate chips (about 4 oz)

Directions

1. Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
3. In separate bowl, beat egg slightly, and add all remaining ingredients except choc chips and veggies. Stir well.
4. Add liquid mixture, mix until ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in veggies and choc chips.
5. Divide among mini muffin cups, filling completely. Smooth top slightly.
6. Bake at 175 c for 15 min, or until center comes clean on toothpick/knife.
7. Cool on rack.