Emmy Bites: Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Fudge Chip Muffins

In honor of this weekend’s 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, we’ve been peeking into some of your favorite celeb kitchens to see what this year’s nominees have been whipping up. Tune into the awards show live on Sunday, August 29 at 8pm EST.

She might play the tough, empathetic Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, but actress Mariska Harigitay is just as passionate about helping assault victims off screen as she is on.

In addition to her nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series, Hargitay has been busy as founder and president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, which works to foster a community that turns toward the issues of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

To celebrate Mariska’s work, natural food chef and reality TV star Bethenny Frankel created a guilt-free chocolate muffin recipe for prime time detective.

(Don’t tell anyone, but I’ll be rooting for Mariska on Sunday night!)

Joyful Heart Fudge Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet dairy- and gluten-free chocolate chips (such as Sunspire)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 8 paper liners in muffin tin; coat with cooking spray.

2. Combine applesauce and next 4 ingredients. In a sepa-rate bowl, whisk together the next 6 ingredients. Add oat mixture to applesauce mixture; stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 20–22 minutes, rotating the pan a half-turn after 10 minutes. Muffins are done when tops are firm to the touch.

4. Cool slightly. Top with powdered sugar, if desired. (Serving size: 1 muffin)

(Photo Credit: Health.com)