Nigella's Chocolate Muffins

Nigella's Chocolate Muffins is one of my older recipes. It's originally from Nigella Lawson, and it appeared on Food Network's site at one point. The reviews on FN weren't great, but then I made the muffins and ended up loving them. The crumb is lightly chocolate, but they are loaded with mini chips so they actually burst with chocolate and have some contrast in the texture. Any poor reviews must have been from people who didn't use the mini chips.

After all these years (I'm updating this in 2024) I still love this recipe. The muffins really do benefit from being baked in cupcake papers because they are so fall-apart moist. And of course don't forget those chocolate chips. The mini chocolate chips disperse through the batter and give each bite a lot of chocolate, but regular size chocolate chips work too.

Another reason to love this recipe is that it's very easy. You mix all the dry ingredients (including sugar and chips) together in a bowl, then pour in the wet ingredients. In other words, basic muffin protocol! Using oil keeps the cost down too, so these aren't as expensive as some other recipes. Then again, that all depends on where you are and what's on sale. Butter is just expensive lately. Here's an old photo.

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Nigella's Chocolate Muffins

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (gently spoon and sweep -- don't scoop)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt or fleur de sel
2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
¾ cup superfine sugar (comes in a canister)
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus ¼ cup for sprinkling
1 cup milk, room temperature
⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin cups with flour-added Pam.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring cup. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. Spoon into sprayed muffin tins. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes.

Recipe

Nigella's Chocolate Muffins

Anna

Light chocolate muffins with loads of semisweet chips.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 7 minutes mins

Cooling Time 7 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 muffins or 10 larger

Ingredients

 

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, weigh or spoon and sweep (200 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt or fleur de sel plus another pinch
• 2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder (12 grams)
• ¾ cup superfine sugar (or just use granulated) (150 grams)
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, preferably minis plus ¼ cup for sprinkling
• 1 cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. GLine 10 to 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, and ¾ cup of the chocolate chips together into a large bowl.
• Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring cup. Alternatively, you can just make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins.
• Spoon into muffin tins. They should be around ¾ cup (maybe a little over) full. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes.
• Let cool for about 10 minutes. These are very soft and delicate, but become a little firmer and easier to deal with as they cool. This is especially important if you've decided to skip the muffin papers.

Keyword Chocolate Muffin, Nigella Lawson

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