May 1, 2019

Bakery style double chocolate muffins

Let's return to chocolate, shall we?  I think that's always a good idea!
While it's pretty quiet here in this little blog space, my kitchen is keeping busy and continues to turn out a fairly steady stream of baked goods.  As always, the majority of what I bake involves chocolate since it's my very favorite thing (and my family is rather partial to it as well).  Recently, I discovered this great bakery style chocolate muffin recipe that I can now add to my muffin repertoire.  And as far as I'm concerned, one can never have too many muffin recipes since they play versatile roles as breakfast, snack, or dessert!
My muffins are baked in standard size tins but if you make jumbo versions of these, they really could slot right onto a bakery or coffee shop counter.  These double chocolate muffins are moist yet sturdy and firm.  All importantly, they have that crusty, firm top that I associate with bakery muffins.  
We love trying new muffins, especially when they're chocolate ones!  These chocolate muffins not only look the part but have plenty of serious chocolate flavor, which is so important.  Dark cocoa, a combination of chocolate chunks and chips, as well as a little espresso powder, really drives the chocolate flavor home.

Right now, these bakery style double chocolate muffins have taken their place as a close second favorite to the other double chocolate muffin that I make often.  In contrast to these bakery style chocolate muffins, the other ones are more fragile and tender. Those are moist and chocolaty, and I particularly love the combination of whole wheat flour in those that give it an interesting hearty texture and flavor.  Warmed slightly, I like to eat those with a little fork.
These bakery style muffins are not only moist and chocolaty, they are ready for prime time and sometimes you really want a sturdy, ready to grab-and-go kind of muffin.  Freshly baked, their crunchy tops are something to ooh and aah over.   Whenever I have a little extra buttermilk on hand (and that's fairly often), I'll be whipping up a batch of these.  Best part is - like many muffin recipes - they are a cinch to make, with no need to bring butter to room temperature.  Since they don't require advance planning, these muffins can land on your counter in no time.  Then, gather around and dig in.  If there's any left, breakfast will be sorted out as well.  There's no need to stop by any bakery!

Recipe:

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins 
From Pretty. Simple. Sweet.

* Makes 7 standard-size muffins 
(I like to batch in small-batches so we can enjoy variety and I can bake more often so this is half the original recipe linked above)

1 cup (140g/5oz) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (38g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Dutch processed)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (125g/4.4oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (150ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoon (1 oz.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoon canola (or other neutral) oil
1 teaspoon instant coffee, optional (I use 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (85g/3oz) mix of chocolate chunks and chips (reserving some of the chocolate chips to place on top of muffins, if desired)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line 7 cups of a standard size muffin tin with paper liners.  

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (you can whisk the ingredients instead of sifting but do sift the cocoa if there are big lumps).  Add the granulated sugar and whisk to combine.  

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk the egg with the buttermilk, butter, oil, instant coffee/espresso (if using) and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing together with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Do not overmix; the batter should be thick and lumpy.  Add the chocolate chunks/chips, stirring to incorporate.  

Fill the muffin cups with batter almost all the way to the top.  If you've reserved a few chocolate chips to place on top of the muffins, plop them on now.  Bake for 3 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees (without opening the oven door).  Continue to bake for another 12-17 minutes (15-20 minutes total bake time) until the muffins have puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  [The first time I made these, the muffins sunk slightly after they came out of the oven; I corrected this problem by not opening the oven door too early and making sure the muffins have baked and set up properly.]

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before transferring the individual muffins to the rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!


4 comments:

  1. Chocolate is always good. These muffins have such a smooth and tender crumb. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - these are nice and easy to make.

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  2. When in doubt, chocolate is always a good idea! They look scrumptious. Hope you are doing well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is my motto! Doing great here (knock on wood)...hope the same for you!

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