Rich and tender chocolate muffins, full of warm spices are a great brunch or tea time treat. This is a classic chocolate muffin recipe, with a light chocolate flavour, along with the hint of cinnamon and cardamom. If you do not want the spiciness in your muffins, simply omit cinnamon, cardamom and the cayenne, but I recommend you do try it. It simply brings out the flavour of the muffin, without dominating it. This is one of my favourites and a great go-to chocolate muffin recipe. And the best part - they are done in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
150 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
a pinch of cayenne pepper
150 grams sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons whole milk
50 grams butter
4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons hot water
50 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped
Preparation
Sift together the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and spices, then place them in a large bowl and set it aside. Beat together the egg with the sugar with an electric mixer on high, until lighter in colour, about a minute, then add the milk, reduce the speed and mix until combined. Dice the butter into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the oil and the sifted cocoa powder, and melt it all together over medium heat. Do not let it boil.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the egg and milk mixture, along with half of the cocoa. Beat the batter with an electric mixer on low until barely combined, then add the rest of the dry ingredients and the cocoa. Drizzle in the hot water, mixing constantly on low. Finally, add the dark chocolate and mix briefly. The batter will be thin. Divide it evenly between 8 standard-sized muffin cups (lined with paper liners) and bake immediately in a preheated oven, at 200˚C (400˚F) for about 12-15 minutes. Check them with a toothpick to make sure they don't overbake. Yields 8 servings.
