Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I want DECADENT chocolate muffins. You know what I'm talking about. Muffins that are deep-dark chocolaty and studded with lots of chocolate chips. Oh yeah .... don't forget that you must eat them while still warm and gooey.

Muffins are drier, have a coarser crumb, are less sweet, and are made via a different baking method. These are also a lot easier to make. No stand mixer needed, no hand mixer needed. Just some good old elbow grease, a couple bowls, a spatula, and a whisk. 




Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1½ cups sugar
2 extra large eggs
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1½ cup chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Toss the chocolate chunks into the dry ingredients (coating the chocolate chunks with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin while baking).

3. Whisk together the sugar, butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended and consistent.

4. Stir the wet mixture into the dry. It is very important that you leave lumps in there. If you stir it until it's smooth and consistent and you don't see any more flour, you have stirred too much. Overmixing will yield a drier muffin.

5. Drop scoops of batter into the muffin tin, filling the cups completely.

6. Put the muffins in the oven and bump the temperature up to 400 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy while hot so the chocolate is gooey. Yields 12 muffins.