merrifood

Chocolate chip muffins

Posted by merrifood on December 3, 2012 · 1 Comment 

Muffins.  They are really just cupcakes that are cleverly disguising themselves as breakfast food.  Who wouldn’t want what is essentially a chocolate chip cookie in breakfast form?  I had yet another birthday to bake for and saw this recipe a while ago, so figured I’d try my hand at a good old traditional chocolate chip muffin.  I think my favorite muffins to bake are actually typically of the non chocolate variety (pumpkin, cinnamon roll, etc) but these were great.  I liked the recipe because it talked about how the muffins could get delicious crunchy tops, but unfortunately I didn’t pay attention as much as I should have because I am just such a rule-abider and couldn’t deal with the thought of the batter spilling over the sides of the cups that much.  However, you definitely should only fill six cups with this recipe and then it will actually result in these larger than usual muffins with a delicious crunchy top and a soft interior.  I got that effect from making 7, but I would have wanted to exaggerate it even more if possible.  This is a very standard and easy muffin recipe, so definitely a good one to start with if you are new to the world of breakfasty-y baked goods!

Chocolate chip muffins (adapted from Amandeleine)

Ingredients – makes 6 to 7 (I made 7 but I would recommend making 6)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (I actually realized belatedly that I didn’t have any oil, so I used melted butter.  Oil is probably better though)
• 1/3 cup milk or buttermilk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips
• raw sugar (optional…let’s be honest, who ever just has this lying around.  It is like a gazillion dollars in Australia)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F / 200 C . Lightly spray around the tops of 6 cups of a standard muffin tin with baking or oil spray. Line them with six paper liners or spray the cups as well.

Beat the egg and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Pour in the oil and milk/buttermilk and stir to combine.  Then measure the baking powder and salt into the bowl, and finally mix in the flour until it’s all just combined.  Then mix in the chocolate chunks or chips.   The batter should be thick and lumpy.

Divide the batter among the paper liners such that the batter essentially comes up all the way to the top.  Sprinkle with raw sugar if you have it (I admit it would be a nice effect). Let the batter sit in the pan for 5 minutes before putting into the oven.  I actually made the batter the night before, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge so I could bake it the next morning while I was in the shower.  If you are short on time I would suggest you do this as who doesn’t love the smell of muffins baking in the morning (hello, ultimate impress your friends/significant other tactic).  Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.  Watch them carefully, as an overbaked muffin can turn dry later and that’s not optimal.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes and then eat warm (preferable) or have them cool the rest of the way before storing in foil or an airtight container.  With muffins though, it’s honestly best to eat them the morning of baking or the day of baking.

First step – mixing egg and sugar together

Adding the flour to the batter

As you can see, you should fill them essentially all the way to the top – you want them to overflow (so you should make 6 and fill them even more)

Final product nicely browned on the top

This is a great lazy Sunday morning breakfast, especially for those of you going into winter wanting something warm to start of your day with.  Combine it with eggs and fruit and it’s actually reasonably healthy 🙂