Sunday 18 January 2015

an easy crowd pleaser



I made these easy muffins for my younger child's school outing yesterday. He was supposed to bring sandwiches but we would need to be out the whole morning, I thought it was not a good idea to let sandwiches go without refrigeration for hours especially in hot weather. Upon checking with the organisers, he told me it would be ok to bring muffins instead.



I would love to bake a batch of our favourite blueberry muffins but I decided to opt for a guaranteed crowd pleaser...chocolate-chocolate chips muffins :)

Most chocolate flavoured muffin recipes which I have came across seem to use quite a substantial amount of sugar and fat. I believe they would yield really moist and rich chocolate crumbs, but I prefer something lighter and yet taste as moist and chocolatey. I played around with my usual 'go-to' muffin recipe, substituting a few tablespoons of the flour with cocoa powder and used an extra tablespoon of sugar so that the muffins wouldn't turn out too bitter-sweet.





The result was indeed very satisfactory. The muffins turn out moist and tender despite using less sugar and oil. I guess the yoghurt really works wonders as a great substitute for butter and oil in baking muffins and cakes. The sweetness was just right for us and I love the chocolatey flavour which was further enhanced by the chocolate chips. Just like any easy muffin recipes, these muffins took me no time to prepare. The most important thing was, I didn't have to worry about my boy returning home with a box of leftovers ;)



Double Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients:

(makes 15 small muffins)

240g plain yoghurt (I used low fat yoghurt)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons canola or corn oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
230g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
120g* caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g~60g mini chocolate chips

*note: use extra 1~2 tablespoons more sugar if you prefer it to be sweeter


Method:
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, lightly beaten egg, oil, vanilla extract until just combined.
  • Sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do Not over mix. (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). 
  • Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
  • Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full.
  • Bake in preheated oven at 190degC for about 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs or almost clean (do not over bake). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi HHB, I don't have baking soda. Can I leave this out in the recipe? Will it affect the texture of the muffin?

Happy Homebaker said...

You can try replace 1/2 tsp baking soda with 1 tsp baking powder and omit the salt. This works well if you are using Dutch processed cocoa powder (which is not acidic so it doesnt react with baking soda). I am not sure whether the texture will be affected if you are using natural cocoa powder (which is acidic and reacts with baking soda to leaven the bakes). I think since the cocoa powder used is less than 1/3 cup it may not affect too much...

Kimmy said...

Hi HHB, your chocolaty muffins look so temptingly good. Would love to try it especially after you have tried and tested it.. Love the idea of reduced sugar and oil and using yoghurt. Thanks for sharing.

Thelma said...

They look yummy!

Unknown said...

Anything that starts with double chocolate chip has got to be superb!!!

Sophy said...

I've never thought of replacing butter with yogurt before - I can't wait to try it!

Victoria Bakes said...

these muffins look so moist! it's already visually pleasing, least to say the taste

sunayana said...

Hi, HHB your chocolate muffins are looking so yummy and moist, and the ingredients are so easily available in the kitchen. Hey can i replace butter instead of oil. Pls let me know...............

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, you can replace the vegetable oil with melted butter. The texture could be slightly affected as muffins made with oil will be more moist. However, since the amount is not much it shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure you don't over bake the muffins and dont over mix the batter. The batter should be very thick and lumpy...only 'spoonable' not 'pourable' hope ypu get what I mean...

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Kimmy hope you get to try this especially when u need to rush out a batch of muffins :)

sunayana said...

yes,i got it. Thank you so much, i will try and let u know, and i have a question regarding ur books, iam interested to buy them can u pls help me where can i find them in singapore.

PH said...

Chocolate muffins can never go wrong. I love them too!

Iris Kitchen said...

Droolingggggg.. omaigoddd

Cathleen said...

I just made some double chocolate muffins, and they were amazing! Yours looks so good too :)

Hakuna Matata said...

Happy Muffins and my kids will surely love this. Thanks! private chef in austin texas

Swati Sapna said...

Hey! Am back after a looong hiatus from blogging and its great to see all the lovely stuff you have been cooking up :) The muffins look fabulous!
Hope you have been well...

Viola said...

Wow, these muffins look delicious. Well done and: Great recipe!

Alexandra Higgins said...

Oh my these muffins looks killing delicious! This recipe worth a try. Thanks for sharing!
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Eugene said...

Hi I was wondering if I could substitute cocoa power with milo powder instead. Would love to try making milo muffins =)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Eugene, you may use milo but the taste will not be as rich.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB,
I love your blog.
The recipes are clear & easy to follow and always come out with great success.
I have made one batch of these muffins last weekend.
They are really very moist and yummy.
My kids gobbled up 2 pcs at a time for breakfast and rest are all gone by noon!
Thank you for sharing and looking forward for your new recipes.
HTing