Thursday, October 30, 2014

Double-Chocolate Cupcake Muffins (aka Science Fair Muffins)


I call these "cupcake muffins" because the only thing that makes them not cupcakes is that they don't have any frosting. And calling them muffins makes them appropriate for breakfast. Yep. You're welcome.

At my house we also call these "Science Fair Muffins" because my daughter used them as part of her science fair project last year. She wanted to find out what combination of baking soda and cream of tartar would give the same results as baking powder (which is baking soda already combined with an acid). I already have a chocolate muffin recipe we like, but it uses baking soda and buttermilk (the acid), so it wouldn't work for her project. I fiddled around with the recipe until I had one that used baking powder and regular milk, and that's this one.

I won't go into all the details about her experiment because there are m-a-n-y, except to say that she and I (we took turns) ended up making nearly 20 batches of muffins--because the experiment had to be done three times (can you imagine my tears when I read that part of the instructions part-way through the experiment process?)--and that we didn't make chocolate muffins for a long time after that.

Here is one of the pictures she used on her display board. The differences are pretty interesting, huh?


She didn't place in the contest, which was disappointing, because we both thought it was an awesome experiment, complete with blind taste-testing performed by fortunate--or unfortunate, in the case of the muffins made with only baking soda-- friends and neighbors. Guess there just aren't enough food nerds in the Science Fair world...lol.

These muffins are definitely best the day they are baked, and the best way I've found to store extras is in a zip bag in the freezer. To thaw them without killing them I put one in the microwave upside-down on a napkin and zap it for 30 seconds on 30% power. Then I turn it over and zap it again for 30 seconds on 30% power. I know it's a bit specific, but it works.

Also, don't skip the sifting part of the instructions. Sifting the flour and cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve gives you a much more tender, moist, and lovely muffin. And, as always, I suggest weighing the flour and cocoa powder to get consistent results.

Double-Chocolate Cupcake Muffins
printable recipe

10 oz all-purpose flour, sifted (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 oz cocoa powder, sifted (about 1/3 cup)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled a bit
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat your oven to 400 deg and line 20 cavities of 2 24-cavity muffin pans with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. In another medium bowl whisk together the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well with a silicone spatula.

3. Use a muffin scoop or 1/4-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the paper-lined muffin pans. Bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out almost clean. Cool completely before eating so the paper comes off easily.

Makes 20 muffins.

5 comments:

  1. Fascinating picture of the side by side comparison. That's my kind of science!!

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    Replies
    1. Right? I thought it was an awesome idea. Like I said, not enough food nerds among the judges ;)

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  2. Would I need to change anything to bake at 9500ft

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    1. So, if I were going to try making these at your altitude I would make a batch just as the recipe is written and see how they turn out. My experience at my altitude is that I have a lot less trouble with quick breads and muffins, so you might be just fine. If you do have trouble, you can try adding a bit more flour and milk (flour for stability and milk because the liquid will cook out faster at higher altitudes). Hope that helps :)

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  3. Oh wow, these look AMAZING! Definitely have to try making these sometime! :)

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