One of my all-time favorite chocolate muffin recipes comes from King Arthur Flour (now King Arthur Baking). I've been making these muffins for years, but recently discovered that KA has a new and improved version which they say rise even higher. They modified the recipe in 2012 by reducing the heat to 350 and decreasing the milk. I never had a problem with the first version, but went ahead and used the improved version yesterday.
Chocolate Breakfast Muffins Notes
Still great muffins! A few tips, though. Be careful measuring your flour. KA uses 8 ½ ounces by weight and calls that 2 cups. Usually 2 cups weighs 9 or 10 ounces depending on the source, so if you don't have a scale and are measuring your flour by volume, use a light hand.
Works Best With Dutch
Also, I tried making these with a mix of natural cocoa powder and Dutch process and didn't get quite the rise. Actually, I think they rose and fell flat. My guess is the acidity of the natural cocoa played into that and caused the muffins to rise too quickly and fall. The muffin in the photo was a "re-do" where I went back to using the usual Dutched cocoa powder. So measure the flour properly and use Dutch cocoa rather than natural.
Oil Instead of Butter
And finally, use a generous ⅓ cup of oil instead of butter. I think the oil keeps the muffins moist, and I certainly didn't miss the flavor of butter with all that chocolate.
Recipe
Chocolate Breakfast Muffins
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Dutch-process cocoa (58 grams)
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (240 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups tightly packed light brown sugar (Use the weight), (266 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon espresso powder omitted
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk (used whole)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- ½ cup butter, melted; or ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper or parchment liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Dutch process cocoa, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, espresso (if using) salt and salt. Set aside.
- In a large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients, along with the oil, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend. Do not beat. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin; the cups will be heaped with batter, and the muffin will bake into a "mushroom" shape.
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven, and after 5 minutes remove them from the pan, allowing them to cool for about 15 minutes. Serve in the muffin papers or peel away the papers and serve without. Before serving, generous dust with powdered sugar.
Sue says
These look and sound really good! They make me think of those chocolate pumpkin muffins that were such a hit.
Rynda Carlis says
Thanks for your thorough testing and complete explanation, Anna! I am looking forward to trying these.
sonya says
I often think about what great muffin recipes King Arthur Flour has, too! Mine are all from their Whole Grain Baking cookbook, and my favorites are their Cranberry-Orange Spelt Muffins, Gingered Oatmeal Muffins, Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins, Sour Cream Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, Moist Bran Muffins, and Sailor Jacks. I am guessing that their non-whole grain muffin recipes are equally delicious!!!
Anna says
Hi Rynda, I should have done a better job explaining. For my first batch I couldn't decide whether to use 1/2 cup of butter or 1/3 cup of oil, which are the choices the recipes gives. I decided to use half of each which is 4 tablespoons of butter and a little less than 3 tablespoons of oil. I also made the recipe again using just the 1/3 cup of oil. Actually, I preferred the texture of the muffins when made with oil and no butter. I will update the note.
Rynda Carlis says
Chocolate for breakfast! Lovely.
The ingredients list says butter OR oil but your note says you used butter AND oil. I'm confused...
Carol says
These look great Anna!