Cherish the Chocolate Chunk Muffins
 

Ingredients:

-¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
-4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2/3 cup granulated sugar
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-½ teaspoon baking soda
-½ teaspoon salt
-1¼ cups buttermilk
-1 large egg
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit with paper muffin cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

2. Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Do not overmix the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Overview:
        This recipe was easy yet complex at the same time. You don't realize what you have until its gone. These chocolate chunk muffins was something sure missed when it was gone. It was chocolate explosion in you mouth that got better with each and every bite. With the perfect blend of sweet and salty, these muffins were something that left you craving them again and again. The outside was crisp with a warm, soft inside that made your mouth water. The aroma was also something that left you in awe. This chocolate delight was nothing to complain about.
      
       The preparation of this recipe was fairly simple. Following the directions was the easy part but applying your knowledge from class to a real life situation was different. After mixing all of the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients separately, it was time to recall the info learned in class. When using the muffin method, the key is to not overmix the batter. You don't want a smooth batter otherwise your muffins will be flat. The batter needs to be somewhat chunky when putting the batter into the pan, therefore you will end up with a airy, round muffin top. This is one situation when a round muffin top is good but watch how many you eat because you don't want to end up with one also! This recipe was fairly simple and easy that I would recommend to many others.

       My muffins turned out great! Better than I expected! I didn't make any substitutions in my recipe and followed everything as instructed. The only thing I had an issue with was with the flour and baking soda/powder. I did not have a sifter in my kitchen therefore I was unable to sift my flour and baking powder/soda. this had little effect on my product though because my product still was moist and airy even without the sifted ingredients. As the muffins were in the oven, I kept checking on them to make sure they were rising correctly and getting proper color. They went as planned and had round tops with a warm soft inside. Anyone who can deny that in the morning is crazy.

      In the future, I would definitely make this recipe again because I had great results with this muffin. I would also recommend this recipe to others who are looking to cherish a chocolate chunk muffin in the morning. Although, follow the recipe as told or else this muffin may end as a flop for you. Other than that, it is a delicious muffin that can cure those chocolate cravings at any point of the day.

-Amanda Gutterman Hour 5