Chocolate chip muffins

Here I go with another muffin recipe!  I make no apologies for my muffin-making addiction.  They are so gratifying to make and who can resist the occasional indulgence of eating a little cake first thing in the morning!  So let's have a simple, classic chocolate chip muffin this time.

I always keep an eye out for "back pocket" type recipes and they often fall in the category of muffins.  These are recipes that I know everyone will generally like, that aren't complicated - built off a base of simple ingredients that I usually already have around so I can whip it up quickly.  This simple recipe for chocolate chip muffins that I found in the Damn Delicious cookbook totally fit the bill.

While I've baked and enjoyed more complicated muffins, sometimes you just want to grab a couple of bowls and a few ingredients from the fridge or pantry to make something simple.  That's what we're talking about here.  

These muffins were actually titled "bakery style chocolate chip muffins" and that got me thinking about what makes muffins "bakery-style".  To me, I tend to think of large muffins that are very crusty and brown on top.  These aren't exactly what I picture but when it comes to bakery muffins, I think you also expect a moist and tender one that's also sturdy at the same time.  I think these chocolate chip muffins fall into that description and in general, they're tasty and simple, something you can make on a whim when you have a need or craving for muffins.  I feel that need/craving quite often.


There is something entirely soothing about getting out the bowls, whisks, and spatulas to mix up a simple batch of muffins.  This is what I needed to get my small batch of chocolate chip muffins going.

"Plain" vanilla chocolate chip muffins can look a little anemic on top so the sparking sugar is a nice little topping.  I sometimes go with turbinado sugar; this time I went with sparkly sanding sugar.

I used Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips instead of chopping up some chocolate for these muffins.  Grabbing some chocolate chips from the bag just makes the whole process quick and easy.  Use a brand of chocolate chips you love and it'll be hard not to enjoy these muffins.

In about 15 minutes or so in the oven, they're ready to go!  

This is a nice back-pocket muffin recipe I'll be making again.

Update: I also used this recipe base for blueberry muffins.  Simply omit the chocolate chips and stir in about 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries instead.  You could also add a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon zest for that classic flavor combination.  

Recipe:

Chocolate Chip Muffins
From Damn Delicious

- 12 regular-size muffins - 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-2 tablespoons sparkling sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the milk, oil, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring with a rubber spatula until just moist.  Add chocolate chips and gently stir to combine.

Spoon or scoop the batter into the 12 muffin cups.  Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Set muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before removing muffins and allowing to cool to room temperature.