Coffee Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I'm not much of a baker (really).

I mean, I make a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, decent biscotti, and I've gotten a good bit of use out of my breadmaker (thanks, Mom!).

But while many of my friends mostly bake, more than cook, I definitely cook, more than bake. I am partial to the slapdash, improvisational fun of the stovetop versus the measured precision of the oven.

Just in general, the DDH makes more desserts than I do. I have a serious sweet tooth, don't get me wrong. That's actually why he makes most of the desserts--so we have fewer of them. I could eat muffins and coffee cakes and all manner of breakfast pastries all day long forever, which is why I rarely make them: I would, in fact, eat them all day long forever, and I would weigh three hundred pounds.

All that to say, I saw this muffin recipe in Cooking Light yesterday and promptly made a batch.

We had the instant coffee granules on hand, leftover from a DDH baking experiment. And...coffee chocolate muffins with my morning coffee...who could resist?

Plus, they're caffeinated, so I'll only eat them in the morning. ^_^

Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted (barely) from Cooking Light January/February 2012

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 5 Tbs. butter in a saucepan or microwave safe bowl.

Fun fact: instant coffee is dehydrated brewed coffee.

Combine with the butter: 2/3 cup whole milk, 3 Tbs. instant coffee granules, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 large egg, lightly beaten.



Pretend this is a picture of mixed ingredients instead of just its aftermath.

 In a separate bowl, whisk together 9 oz (2 cups) flour (I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat), 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Ready to go.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in your wet ingredients. Mix until just moistened.

Spoon into twelve greased or lined muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until done (toothpick test). Don't overbake them or they'll get tough.

Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

Nom nom nom.

They are good. Very coffee-y, and dense. They do in fact go well with your morning coffee, or I'm sure they'd be a hit at a brunch meeting.