Double Chocolate Muffins

Before you start

A double chocolate muffin gets its flavor from two sources: cocoa powder in the batter for depth and color, and chopped chocolate folded in for melty pockets. Blooming the cocoa in hot coffee or water before mixing dissolves it fully, so you get a stronger chocolate taste and a smoother batter without extra sugar. The coffee itself is hard to detect; it mostly sharpens the chocolate.

This is a muffin, not a cupcake, so the crumb is moist and slightly open rather than fine and fluffy, and there is no frosting. The hard part is judging doneness. The dark crust gives no color cues, and a toothpick that hits melted chocolate looks wet even when the crumb is cooked. Test in two spots and look for moist crumbs, not streaks of batter.

Ingredients

• Cocoa paste45 g (½ cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 120 ml (½ cup) hot brewed coffee or boiling water
• Batter220 g (1¾ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• 50 g (¼ cup packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs — room temperature
• 120 ml (½ cup) neutral oil
• 120 ml (½ cup) buttermilk — room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 170 g (1 cup) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate — chopped into chunks, divided

Method

1. Whisk the cocoa and hot coffee in a large bowl into a smooth, glossy paste. Let it cool for 10 minutes, until just warm to the touch. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line the pan.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Whisk both sugars into the cocoa paste, then the eggs one at a time, then the oil, buttermilk and vanilla. The mixture should look like a thin, shiny chocolate sauce.
4. Add the dry ingredients and fold until almost combined. Add 130 g of the chopped chocolate and fold just until no dry flour remains.
5. Fill the cups to the top. Press the remaining chocolate chunks onto the tops so they show after baking.
6. Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C (425°F), then lower the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake 14 to 17 minutes more. The muffins are done when the domes spring back and a toothpick inserted into the crumb, away from any chocolate chunk, comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a rack. The melted chocolate will set slightly as they cool.

Tips for success

• Chop a bar instead of using chips. Chips contain stabilizers that keep their shape; chopped chocolate melts into streaks and pools.
• If the cocoa paste is still hot when you add the eggs, they can start to scramble. Wait until it feels just warm.
• A pinch of flaky salt on each top before baking makes the chocolate taste deeper.

Substitutions

Dutch-process cocoa

Natural cocoa works because this recipe has both baking soda and baking powder. The muffins will be lighter reddish-brown and slightly tangier.

Coffee

Boiling water works equally well for blooming; the chocolate flavor will be slightly less intense.

Buttermilk

Plain yogurt or sour cream thinned with a little milk. Sour cream gives a denser, richer crumb.

Variations

Chocolate cherry

Fold in 80 g chopped dried tart cherries with the chocolate chunks.

Triple chocolate

Use a mix of dark chocolate and white chocolate chunks, and drizzle the cooled tops with melted dark chocolate.

Troubleshooting

Dry muffins

Overbaking is easy with dark batter. Start testing 2 minutes early and test the crumb, not the chocolate pockets.

Bitter or flat flavor

Too much cocoa from scooping straight from the tin, or unsweetened chocolate used for the chunks. Weigh the cocoa and use semisweet or bittersweet chocolate.

Chocolate chunks sank

The batter was too thin or the chunks were large and heavy. Chop to about 1 cm and keep the batter thick by not adding extra liquid.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. A 10-second microwave turns the chocolate chunks soft again.

Safety notes

Coffee adds a small amount of caffeine, and cocoa and chocolate contain some too. Do not taste the raw batter, which contains raw egg and flour. Contains wheat, egg, milk and possibly soy.