MOCHA WALNUT CHOC-CHIP MUFFINS…GREEDY GOODNESS!!

Deeba @ PAB

16 years ago

“I believe the world to be a muffin pan, and there certainly are a lot of muffins here.”

Aaron Funk

Mocha Walnut Chocolate-chip Muffins…

When I read about theSnackshots #3 event hosted by Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet , I was thrilled. Opportunity to try these mocha muffins I had bookmarked long ago, & soon. Michelle asks “What’s the difference between a muffin and cupcake? …A muffin contains less sugar and doesn’t have icing on top, in other words it’s healthier. ”

My choice of muffin is deep, dark, decadent & chocolaty; the flavours enhanced with the addition of coffee. Am still trying to place the source on the net; I know I wanted to try these because they used oil instead of butter & were literally popping out of the screen!! They didn’t disappoint at all; lovely chocolaty dark muffins, great taste, moist & soft!! What’s more ? No butter!! Got a whole batch of 12 regular ones, & also almost a dozen mini muffins out of the batter…bonanza!!

Like other quick breads, muffins do best with a light touch. Mix muffin batter gently; stir only enough to moisten the dry ingredients to keep the muffins tender and to avoid the peaked shape. After adding the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, stir just until moistened. If you try to stir out all the lumps, your muffins will have peaks, tunnels, and a tough texture. Most muffins, especially reduced-fat versions, are best served warm from the oven. Reheating briefly in the oven or microwave can revive flavor and texture. You can find more tips to bake perfect muffins here.

The name ‘Muffin‘ either comes from the French word ‘moufflet‘, meaning a soft bread, or from the German word ‘muffe‘ which is the name for a type of cake. There are two types of muffins: English and American. What ‘American-style’ muffins means is that the muffins are made, not from a yeast dough like the English Muffin, but rather they use a chemical leavener (baking powder or baking soda). Maybe it would be better to describe them as a cross between a bread and a cake.

Either which ways, the kids are always happy to have muffins. These chocolate ones were really nice, so the son made me a ‘Happy Happy Day’ card to thank me!!

The mini muffins were very cute too. I topped each with a dark & milk chocolate chip the minute they came out of the oven. Perfect little bites!

Ingredients:

Hot water – 1/2 cup
Instant coffee/espresso powder – 2tbsp
Buttermilk – 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil – 1/2 cup
Eggs – 2 large
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Flour – 1 3/4 cups
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Brown sugar – 1/2 cup
Cocoa powder – 4 tbsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Chocolate chips – 1/2 cup
Walnuts – 1/2 cup / coarsely chopped / optional ; reserve a few halves for topping

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line twelve 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper liners.
Stir 1/2 cup hot water and instant coffee in medium bowl until it dissolves.
Add buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla and whisk until well blended.
Mix flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
Add buttermilk mixture and stir just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts (or pecans).
Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until tester inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Transfer muffins to rack and cool.

MUFFIN is the way to go!!

As Michelle so rightly puts it… “The beauty of the humble muffin is that it’s so versatile and almost any ingredient is agreeable with the baked bun; from pumpkin and fresh fruit to chocolate chips.”

This post featured on

KCRA.com Sacramento

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