NPR News

Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffins

NPR

Published January 23, 2008 at 12:55 AM EST

Sometimes you want your choco-fix without having to wait around for the yeast to do its thing. This recipe, from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours (Houghton Mifflin 2007), uses buttermilk and eggs to keep the crumb nice and moist. She uses melted chocolate as well as cocoa in the batter, which results in wonderfully assertive cocoa-dom. Muffins have the added advantage of coming in single servings, which reduces — though it does not eliminate — squabbles over who has had more.

Makes 12 muffins

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan, or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. (Or use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups). Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter and half of the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a microwave. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough — a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.