Daphne Oz's Chocolaty Banana Muffins Taste Like a Brownie—but Are Healthy Enough to Eat for Breakfast

Getty Images / Patrick McMullan

Daphne Oz is so much more than "Dr. Oz's daughter." The 35 year old is now a podcast host, Emmy-winning TV star, cookbook author, mom...and is quickly becoming one of our favorite Instagram follows.

Relatable, real and a natural entertainer, you can really feel her welcoming nature in each video—like a friend welcoming you into her kitchen. And her kitchen is definitely where we want to be when she's making Fudgy Chocolate Banana Flax Muffins, as she recently did in a delightful 13-minute video.

Oz describes these muffins as "delicately sweet, wrapper-licking good muffins that eat like a tender brownie with plenty of healthy twists," in the caption, adding that she originally created this recipe for her 2013 cookbook, Relish (buy it: $27.47, Amazon).

"I was so excited for a fast breakfast I could take on-the-go that packed fiber and good fats into something with so much yummy chocolate flavor...the best part is that my kids LOVE them, too," she says.

Related: Daphne Oz Talks Food, Beauty and What She Eats in a Day

"If you're anything like me, then healthy, quick and delicious breakfasts are always in high demand, especially ones that your kids are going to eat," Oz says, as she introduces the recipe in the how-to Instagram video.

To follow her lead and make them, start by adding melted coconut oil to a large mixing bowl, then scoop in brown sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and unsweetened applesauce.

Applesauce is used in a lot of recipes as a replacement for eggs, Oz explains, "but I'm actually using eggs as well. The applesauce is adding moisture, and a little bit of sweetness because we're really just relying on the bananas for most of the sugary component of this recipe." And a bit of brown sugar, of course.

Next up: A couple overripe bananas and some water. Using a fork, mash the bananas into small chunks, then use a hand mixer (Oz uses KitchenAid Silver 9-Speed Contour Hand Mixer; buy it: $99.95, Crate & Barrel) to fully combine and "add a little levity to the batter," she says.

Add the two eggs, one at a time, and mix again between each, then grab another large bowl to tackle the dry ingredient portion. To the new bowl, add whole-wheat flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and wheat germ, "the nutritious, fatty part of a wheat kernel that also tastes really good and has vitamin E in it, which is amazing for your skin," Oz says. Baking soda and salt join the party next.

For even more chocolate flavor, Oz adds a handful of chocolate chips to her Vitamix blender (buy it: $599.95, Williams Sonoma) along with a couple spoonfuls of flaxseed. (Psst..you can grind flaxseed in a blender, like Oz, or use a spice grinder. Grinding them allows your body to more easily digest and utilize the nutrition from the seeds; full seeds tend to work their way through our systems whole.) Blend into a sandy texture.

Pour the pulverized flax and chocolate mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, use a whisk to combine, then add the dry mix into the wet. Use the hand mixer on low to fully incorporate the dry ingredients "just until it comes together," Oz says. With the mixer still on, draw five large, quick circles around the bowl once more for good measure, she suggests, then your batter is all set.

Related: 26 Fruit-Filled Muffin Recipes to Make Your Mornings Sweeter

"It's nice and airy, has a beautiful, smooth texture and it smells like a brownie. I would say we're in the magic zone right now," Oz says, as she dips her finger in for a taste test.

Line a muffin tin (Oz has this Anolon Advanced Muffin Nonstick 12-Cup Cupcake Tin With Silicone Grips; buy it: $28, Bed Bath & Beyond) with paper cups (or reusable silicone muffin cups), fill each cup evenly, then bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. At this point, try the toothpick test to see if the middles are cooked. Bake a couple minutes more if not.

"You can also freeze the batter. Tuck it into a zip-top bag, squeeze all the air out, then put it in the freezer," Oz says, in addition to freezing any extra already-baked muffins. "Thaw that in the refrigerator overnight, then you can just snip the corner off and pour that into your muffins and bake away."

As she savors the fruit of her labor: the first still-warm muffin, Oz raves, "Delicately sweet, tons of chocolate flavor infused throughout. Such a tender, moist filling. The flaxseed, wheat germ and whole-wheat flour turns into this absolutely delicious muffin."

The muffins look incredible, and Oz made the recipe look so easy that several fans commented, "You need your own cooking show!"

We couldn't agree more. And we now know what we're baking tonight! Get the recipe for Oz's Fudgy Chocolate Banana Flax Muffins here, then study up on four legit health benefits you'll also score from that dark chocolate in the mix.