Healthier Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Made with Applesauce

I wasn't sure if this was going to work or not because I don't normally bake with applesauce, but I thought what the heck, it's worth a try. So here's what I came up with. They were pretty good and only about 136 calories each (not including the banana chip)!

8 muffins
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup if you like it sweeter)
1 large egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a silicone muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar with a whisk.

In a measuring cup, measure out the milk then add the egg, applesauce and vanilla. Beat it up with a fork until well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and add the mashed bananas. Mix it all together with a rubber spatula just until combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter among 8 muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Tip: You can add nuts but it will up the calorie count. I put a banana chip on top to make it look nice but it's optional.