Chocolate Muffins

We are chocaholics, but isn’t everyone? I found this great new cookbook that I’ve been trying out – Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. Now baking may not be a central part of vegetarian cooking, but everyone needs dessert now and then, right? And these recipes are for everybody except vegans, who won’t like all the eggs and butter. This book is great because it gives recipes for small batches. This recipe makes 4 muffins, which is usually just enough for most people. I mean, you could make a dozen muffins and freeze 8, but I don’t have much room in my freezer for 8 muffins. This recipe makes just enough for the weekend, then you can try something else the next weekend – like the blueberry granola muffins that I also made from this book (recipe to come later). This book is so much fun that I may have to do a “dessert of the month” from it, for the sake of the blog, of course;)

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons of nonfat buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 medium egg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with a rack placed in the center of the oven. Using non-stick spray, spray the bottoms of 4 muffin cups. If you’re not using paper or foil cups, rub a little butter around the rims of the muffin cups. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and egg. Whisk to blend then set aside.

Place a fine-mesh sifter over a medium bowl. Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the sifter and sift all the ingredients in to the bowl. Add the chocolate chips. Pour in  the buttermilk mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups. Fill the empty muffin cups with some water to keep them from scorching.

Bake the muffins 15 – 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of one muffin. When done, place muffin pan on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Pour out the water from the empty cups and turn the muffins out onto the wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Keep leftover muffins in a plastic bag, at room temperature, to enjoy the next day, or freeze them.