Very Chocolate Muffins 🧁🍫

June 12, 2022

If you want something „a little bit” chocolatey, this recipe is not for you. This recipe is for those who want something VERY CHOCOLATEY, because every single muffin case here is packed with as much chocolate flavour as it will hold. Soft, moist, rich and easy to make – that is exactly what these Very Chocolate Muffins are!

Why muffins and not cupcakes? Well, muffins usually have a „heavier” and more „bready” texture than cupcakes: the batter is thicker and more is folded into it than into an ordinary light, uniform cupcake batter, which is how you get the richer flavours. On top of that, cupcake cases are normally filled about 3/4 of the way, whereas for muffins the batter goes right to the top so that a good domed top forms. Because cupcakes are not as intense and have no big dome, they get decorated with all sorts of frostings. Muffins, on the other hand, are never frosted, so it matters that you fold all the good things straight into the batter.

In this recipe I use chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts as the add-ins. As the muffins bake the chocolate chunks melt and give a wonderful flavour, while the macadamia nuts give a fantastic texture.

As always with this kind of bake, it is very important not to overbake, or the muffins will be dry. So that the tops rise quickly, a crust forms and the batter doesn't run over the sides, the muffins start off in a fairly hot oven and the temperature is lowered afterwards. Do keep an eye on them, and after a while test with a wooden skewer – if the skewer comes out clean of wet batter, they are done.

This recipe makes 4-5 large muffins (depending on the size of your cases and tin).

In the recipe I use milk mixed with vinegar – the simplest way to replace buttermilk or kefir in baking recipes. Since you need so little of it here, I don't bother going to the shop. If you have buttermilk or kefir at home, do use them instead of the milk and vinegar.

One more little secret – in chocolate bakes, use Muscovado sugar; that authentic molasses flavour and aroma lift a bake to a completely different level. And if you can't get hold of it right now, you can always swap it for a good-quality brown sugar.

Very Chocolate Muffins

Servings5

Ingredients

1 egg
60 g butter
40 g brown sugar (I use Muscovado)
40 g milk (at room temperature)
½ tbsp vinegar
80 g flour
20 g cocoa powder
3 g baking powder
5 g instant espresso
40 g dark chocolate (chopped)
30 g macadamia nuts

Instructions

Lightly beat the egg. Stir ½ tsp of vinegar into the room-temperature milk and leave it for 5 minutes (the texture should become similar to buttermilk or kefir). Sift together the flour, cocoa, instant coffee and baking powder.
Beat the room-temperature butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add half of the beaten egg, mix, then add the other half and mix again.
Add a third of the flour mixture and fold it in with a spatula. Pour in half of the milk-and-vinegar mixture and stir. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, stir, then pour in the rest of the milk mixture and stir once more.
Finally, add the last of the flour mixture and stir again. Tip in the chopped macadamia nuts and the chocolate and fold through.
Fill the cases right to the top; depending on the size of your tin and cases you will get 4-5 large muffins.
Bake for 6 minutes at 220°C and then for about 15 minutes more at 190°C. Insert a wooden skewer into the centre; if it comes out without wet batter on it, the muffins are done. Let them stand for 5 minutes before lifting them out of the tin so they don't fall apart.

Notes

Pagal Victoriabakes