Delightfully Chocolate Muffins

The other night, I had a craving for something a little sweet. Believe it or not, sometimes even in Andy’s kitchen, there is nothing baked. I went into the kitchen and searched through the cabinets to see what might be available. After finding this and that, I came up with this little recipe.

These are not cupcakes – there is no frosting and the texture is muffin-like, not so much cake-like. But with a little sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar, they fit the bill. Sweet but not too sweet and wonderfully moist.

I love cooking with buttermilk. Baked goods end up so much moister and there’s a boost to the flavor that I don’t get with whole milk. I use what I call “full fat” buttermilk. Much of what you find in the stores is lowfat. You have to really search out the whole milk variety and sometimes it costs extra but oh, is it worth it. If you don’t believe me, try this recipe both ways. You will see what a difference that extra fat makes.

Makes a great after school treat or a simple dessert after dinner. You could even have chocolate muffins for breakfast – I won’t tell your mama! Just clean up the crumbs.

[recipe title=”Delightfully Chocolate Muffins” servings=”12″ time=”30 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]

choc-muffin2

Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup butter room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3⁄4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1⁄2 cup Hershey’s special dark cocoa
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
  • 3⁄4 cup chocolate chips
  • 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Whisk together well and set aside. In a second large mixing bowl, combine butter, water, both sugars, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Using a large spoon,  mix all wet ingredients well. Slowly pour dry mixture into wet mixture and mix just until incorporated. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix lightly.

Place foil-lined paper baking cups in a 12-hole regular size muffin pan. Divide batter
evenly between muffin cups. Place pan in a 375° preheated oven and bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before removing from pan.
*Baking notes*
I used 2 spoons to transfer batter from bowl to baking cup.

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