Chocolate Muffins - the Nagi (RecipeTin Eats) Way

'Twas Bookclub night, so time to bake!  I actually made these in April, can you believe?  I had some Easter eggs lurking in the fridge, so thought I'd whip up something chocolatey.  And these are indeed chocolatey!  With Dutch cocoa, and heaps of chocolate chips.  

I found this fab recipe online, on the RecipeTin Eats website.  (Yes RecipeTin is one word.)  Nagi is a beloved Aussie cook, who also runs a food bank RecipeTin Meals, feeding 600 vulnerable people each day.  Her cookbooks and recipes are wonderful, as is Dozer, her beautiful Golden Retriever.  Okay, you get the picture - I am a Nagi fan:=)

so chocolatey!

Serves 12:

ingredients:

260g./9.2 oz plain flour

1.25 tsp bi-carb soda/baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

60g./2 big ounces Dutch cocoa (just any good cocoa, my friends)

1 Tbs instant coffee granules/powder

185 mL/6.3 oz milk - full fat and HOT

125 mL/4.3 oz neutral veg. oil (I used grapeseed oil)

200g./7 oz brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g./7 oz sour cream or Greek-style yoghurt

1 large egg

300g./10.5 oz dark chocolate chips

all-purpose flour for my American friends

baking/bi-carb soda

Method:

Whack on your oven to 210C/410F, and put the oven shelf in the top third 

Line your 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners/cases

Grab a large mixing bowl, and sift in the flour, bi-carb soda and salt

Then you have to bloom your cocoa (never heard of that before) by sifting the cocoa into another large bowl, and then adding the coffee and the hot milk ...  And you whisk away till smooth

Now add the oil, sugar, vanilla, sour cream and the egg to the cocoa mixture - and whisk away - yep you guessed it - till smooth

And pour your wet mixture (mm, sounds a bit dodgy hehehe) into the flour mixture - and whisk till smooth and glossy - Nagi says not to mix too vigorously, just till smooth

Stir in nearly all the chocolate chips - keep aside about 1/4 cup

Spoon the batter evenly (equally?) into the muffin holes, and throw on the rest of the choc chips

Now bake for 5 minutes at the 210C temp., then turn down to 190C/375F, and bake for another 20 minutes (but check at 15)

You want your cake skewer to come out clean (but as Nagi says, melted chocolate ain't raw batter)

Let 'em cool for 4-5 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack for 15 minutes

milk!

vanilla paste/extract

Notes:

Nah, nothing to say here :=)  Oh yes I do have.  Dutch cocoa is in fact Dutch-processed cocoa, not necessarily from The Netherlands.  (And did you know that the correct name is not Holland, but rather The Netherlands?!)  It refers to the process of treating the cocoa solids with an alkalising agent to reduce the acidity - which makes it darker and less bitter.  Funnily enough, I do often buy Van Houten's cocoa powder.  Van Houten's (invented by a Dutch chemist) was subsequently owned by Callebaut who sold it to Hershey's - but only in some areas!  Callebaut still owns the name; how very confusing it is.

ingredients gathered

flour mixture and cocoa mixture

luscious sour cream!

look at all those eggs :)

spoon into the paper cases

and baked - so let 'em cool, then eat

I made a couple more than 12! 

For some reason, I had more batter than for 12 muffins, so I ended up with 14!  Yay!

you guessed it - muffins

I am joining in with Jo's linky for BKD Cookbook Club.  This month's theme is Thanksgiving, which can refer to the actual Thanksgiving in the U.S., or for non-Americans it can refer to a dish that makes you thankful, or is a family fave, or reminds you of a loved one.  

Muffins, you ask?  Why them?  Mr P. and I have celebrated two Thanksgivings in the U.S. with our dear friend M'Annette.  To our Aussie surprise, sweets like pumpkin pie and blueberry muffins were served with the turkey!!  So while not fruity, these chocolate beauties are a reminder of good times and dear friends.