Dramatic Late Night Chocolate Chip Muffins

March 4, 2005 | By | COMMENTS

Look at these dramatic muffins:

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Do you get it? I made drama masks with them. Happy face, sad face. You people are so uncultured, it sickens me.

I’ve been craving chocolate chip muffins lately. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m pregnant? No, if I was pregnant I’d want chocolate chip muffins and pickles.

There’s just something sexy to me about the idea of a hot chocolate chip muffin coming out of the oven late at night. So I just made them using Nigella Lawson’s feast cookbook. They were crazy easy. Do you want the recipe? It’s so easy.

Preheat the oven to 400 and fill a muffin tin with 12 paper cups.

In a bowl put all these dry ingredients together:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbs best-quality unsweetened cocoa (Ok, I was an idiot and used Jacques Torres’s hot chocolate powder–that didn’t work so well)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (plus more for sprinkling later)

3/4 cup superfine sugar (I used regular sugar and it was fine)

Then add these wet ingredients:

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup plus 2 tsps vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

That’s it! You stir but not too much. Nigella tells us this: “Remember that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins.” See?

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Pour into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes. That’s it! Deliciousness in no time!

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Ok, small confession–these weren’t 100% delicious, but I think that’s because (as mentioned above) I used hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa. I know, I know–that’s retarded–but it seemed like a fine idea at the time. Maybe it’s a testament to how good these muffins are that even though that aspect of it didn’t taste good, they still did taste really really good. They’re light, fluffy and scream to be eaten hot out of the oven. Treat your inner muffin-lover today.

Categories: Breakfast

  • http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com santos

    don’t get me wrong, nigella is a-one in more ways than one, but i’ve been underwhelmed by many of her recipes. it’s entirely possible that despite the hot chocolate substitution, these weren’t 100% delicious to begin with.

  • yes

    People like her cause she’s pretty. People are looksist.

  • http://www.joannou.net brian w

    I love Nigella. I could listen to her speak about her philosophy of eating all the live long day.

    But her baking recipes? I don’t trust ‘em. With the exception of her fallen chocolate cake thing, they have all been unmitigated failures for me.

    (Hey, your pictures are looking really great lately, by the way)

  • http://esurientes.blogspot.com Niki

    It goes either way with me and Nigella’s baking recipes. I’d say about 80% of them are fabulous, and the rest (so that’d be….20%?) not so brilliant. So, for me, that’s a recommendation for her; pretty good odds.

  • Ben W.

    I just made these muffins. They are outstanding! Absolutely delicious. I did, however, opt for the cocoa powder as opposed to the hot chocolate packet. Oh ya, and they are as easy as pie to make.

  • laura

    I have made more Nigella things than I realize, originally I thought I had only made four… but I could only remember four (which doesn’t boad well for Nigella) but after going through the Nigella bites it turns out I have made a lot! For me her dessert recipes turn out alot better than her meat dishes.

  • Luc

    Mm. The muffins look hungry to me. I can just see em growling ‘feed mee feed me’

    lurvely blog you got here.

  • Amy Beth

    Okay. I’m de-lurking over muffins. I made these and, well, I was a little disappointed too. I used dutch processed cocoa and dark chocolate chips though. I mean, they were good. Just not sinful.

  • chippy

    amy beth, I bet if you used melted butter insted of oil they’d be sinful.

  • Ben W

    Ya, just use a little less milk and a little more butter.

  • http://ambersantos.blogspot.com Amber

    I just made these and they’re in the oven now. You never mentioned how long they ought to cook, though! I’m going to have to do the toothpick thing… is that passe?

  • http://www.amateurgourmet.com Adam

    Yes I did! Between the last two pics: “Pour into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes. That’s it! Deliciousness in no time!”

    Funny how many people are making these. I’m sure there’s a better recipe somewhere!

  • Amy Beth

    Yummm…melted butter… :-)

  • coocoo

    Don’t listen to Niki, she’s in australia, everything is backwards there. That means only 20% of the recipes will work for you here.

  • Ben W.

    I made these again tonight because they were such a hit last night. This time I used the superfine sugar. No noticable difference.

  • http://ambersantos.blogspot.com Amber

    Right, sorry, slow on the uptake. i just eyeballed it. These were sort of bland batter… I’m using butter next time.

  • Dana

    Ok, so I made these last night but mine are chocolate brown…hello, adding cocoa made them brown…

    How did you do that Adam? Mine don’t look like yours!

    I mean they taste good but I am utterly confused at how to get the “regular” muffin color…HELP

  • yes

    dana, because that hot chocolate mix is partly ground chocolate and not cocoa which would not have disolved in the batter but stayed in tiny chocolate flecks.

  • yes

    dana, because that hot chocolate mix is partly ground chocolate and not cocoa which would not have dissolved in the batter but stayed in tiny chocolate flecks.

  • Brandi

    Ever since your post on chocolate chip muffins I have had a craving to make them. I decided to try an experiment and make two different recipes yesterday, especially after you had said you were less than 100% satisfied with Nigella Lawson’s recipe. I tried hers (with the called-for baking cocoa) and another one. I do have to say that I liked the other one better. Lawson’s came out a bit bland and flat. One thing is certain: I have satisfied my craving!

  • http://www.allhomepage.com/2600/ nat

    mmmm…i made these and they turned out delicous, baked for excately 20mins, they were cooked and they chocolate inside was melted. green and blacks cocoa is the best. it does work

  • Michelle

    I made these with whole wheat flour and about half the sugar and they were still good (I’m sure Nigella would be mortified!)

  • Lin

    Hey Brandi, what’s the other recipe that you used? I’m pretty curious… Anyway, there’s another version of chocolate chip muffin recipe, also by nigella.

    250g plain flour

    2 teaspoon powder

    Half-teaspoon bicarbonate soda

    2 tablespoon best quality cocoa

    175g caster sugar

    150g chocolate chip (plus more for sprinkle)

    250 ml milk

    90 ml vegetable oil

    1 large egg

    1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

    I’m not sure if I’m right, but I feel that the quality of the raw material you use will ultimately change the outcome of the muffins. Maybe good quality cocoa is a real essential?

  • http://flickr.com/photos/selena selena

    made ‘em. yummy. thanks.

  • Janine

    Oh thank you for the Muffins! they were really good! :) and easy to make! XD YUMMY!

  • http://MzBakezAlot Andria

    from all of the negative comments about these so-called delicious muffins…i’m becoming very skeptical about making them for guests. i think this is more of a late night, home alone type of thing…just in case ya know!

  • http://MzBakezAlot Andria

    from all of the negative comments about these so-called delicious muffins…i’m becoming very skeptical about making them for guests. i think this is more of a late night, home alone type of thing…just in case ya know!

  • http://MzBakezAlot Andria

    from all of the negative comments about these so-called delicious muffins…i’m becoming very skeptical about making them for guests. i think this is more of a late night, home alone type of thing…just in case ya know!

  • http://naturalborncook.blogspot.com Darryl

    Man, I’ve been meaning to make these since I got the book. Thanks for the reminder.

    Nigella’s baking recipes have been nothing but successful for me, but I use the British/Canadian versions of her books, which list ingredients in metric, so all you have to do is weigh everything. I’m convinced that the conversion to cups and ounces is what screws up a lot of her baking recipes for American readers.