Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay, we may be going back to basics here, big time, but I honestly think that sometimes the simple chocolate chip muffin is so underrated, and also done in completely the wrong way.

And also, I completely disagree with this accusation that “muffins are just ugly cupcakes” because it is completely untrue. Are you not seeing how beautiful these muffins are?! Besides. Muffins beat cupcake by a long shot. Cupcakes are dry and far too small, muffins are moist, delicious, huge and packed full of anything you want to put into them. I wanted chocolate chips.

Well, actually, my mum wanted chocolate chips. My parents are going away to France this weekend to visit my Nan. When we were shopping, my dear mother said “we need to go and get some cakey things for me and dad to eat on the boat” no, woman. You have a baker in the house. I will bake for you dammit. And that’s how these gorgeous creatures (can I call a muffin a creature?!) were born.

Also, did I tell anyone that I’m going to America in a week? Yep. 1 week in San Francisco, 1 week in Los Angeles and the final week in Las Vegas. Ohmygod so excited.

The most exciting thing for me about this holiday will be all of the new and exciting food that I can never get my hands on (because England is a deprived country) and I’ll get to bake completely awesome things in an awesome country in a new and awesome kitchen. I’ll bring my own utensils though.

Boring part (my actual life) of the blog over, let us direct our attention bake to muffins. Yummm.

A mixture of dark and milk chocolate chips in this recipe is ideal; you get little hits of super sweet (milk) and rich (dark), which compliment each other b-e-a-utifully.

My secret moistening agent is sour cream. Truth be told, I made my friend a chocolate fudge birthday cake for her birthday, and I had sour cream left over after making it. So why should it be wasted when it can be used so beautifully?!

I’ve talked enough, here’s my recipe (makes 9 muffins):

• 130g unsalted butter
• 80ml sour cream
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 250g plain (all purpose) flour
• 1 1/2 tsps
• 80ml milk
• 80g milk chocolate chips
• 80g dark chocolate chips

Preheat the your oven to gas mark 5/190°C/375°F and line a muffin tray with 9 muffin liners. Melt your butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Keep an eye on it and remove from the heat once the butter begins to foam.

In a large bowl, beat together the sour cream and the eggs. Add in the melted butter and beat again to incorporate. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and baking powder.

Add all of the flour/sugar/baking powder in one go and fold together until just combined. Add in the milk and whisk together until combined.

Toss the chocolate chips in a tablespoon of flour and then fold 3/4 of them into the batter. You’ll need to reserve a 1/4 to sprinkle on top of the muffins, make ’em look all pretty and what not.

Using an ice-cream scoop or two tablespoons, fill the muffin liners with the batter, then sprinkle on a few of the reserved choco chips for decoration.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the middle muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tray for an hour, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Then just eat them. 

You are welcome 😉