chocolate chocolate chunk muffins

As I have established before, I am not a big breakfast person.  But I’m starting to realize that maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I just had the wrong idea about breakfast.  Perhaps what I mean is I’m not a scrambled eggs and bacon and butter and sausage type breakfast person.  And on the contrary, I definitely am a chocolate muffins kind of breakfast person.

What my mom had to say about these muffins is that they’re good because they’re actually chocolate muffins, not chocolate cupcakes trying to act like muffins.  And I think she is exactly right (although I would argue that if you put some icing on top of one of these and called it a cupcake no one would complain).  These muffins are so dark that they aren’t too rich, which seems contrary but is apparently totally possible.  They don’t leave you feeling overly sugared in the morning.  But they still have just enough sweetness that you dream about them in the middle of the afternoon and perhaps even after dinner.

I used a really really good chocolate when I made these, and I actually might change and use more of a mid-grade chocolate next time.  I’m not sure that the goodness of the chocolate particularly made the flavor better, and when you’re melting chocolate and mixing it with flour and sugar I think I might rather save my best chocolate to eat simply on it’s own…or put in some cookies.  But no matter what chocolate you use, I don’t think you can go wrong with these.  They have the perfect crumbly texture, a slightly sweet flavor, and chunks of chocolate throughout…all the things that are making me believe that maybe I do like breakfast after all.

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Muffins
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

Makes 12 muffins

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (half of it chopped and set aside)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, with the rack in the center of the oven.  Lightly grease the cups of one muffin pan (with 12 cups), or fill with liners.
2. Place a medium-sized heat proof bowl or double boiler over simmering water.  Add butter and 2 oz. of chocolate to the bowl and heat until melted and smooth, stirring often.  Alternatively, this can be done in the microwave, heating the butter and chocolate for about 1 minute 30 seconds or until melted, stirring at 30 second intervals.  Once the chocolate and butter have melted, set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, whisking until combined.
4. In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract, whisking to combine.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir them together with a spatula or whisk.  Be careful not to over mix (the batter will be lumpy).
6. Gently stir in the chopped chocolate.
7. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups (an ice cream scoop works well here).
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, before removing muffins from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.