Recipe: Muffins with Chocolate Chips

I know it is not a groundbreaking recipe, I just want to bake something for the Chocolate Week that is going to be upon us from the 9th of October until the 15th. So I wanted to bake a classic using Chocolate & Love chocolate bars, the Rich Dark 71%  a Fairtrade products where the company sources all its ingredients ethically produced from small farms and paying a fair price and give it a twist using part normal flour and a small percentage of coffee flour.

So here it is the list of ingredients and this time use the kitchen scale. 3 small bars of Chocolate & Love 71% Dark Chocolate for a total amount of 120 grams or you can use a single normal size bar, 240 grams of Flour, I've used the Tesco one, 20 grams of Coffee Flour, mine is by Cru Kafe. Then 125 grams of Granulated Sugar and 125 grams of Butter. 10 grams of Baking Powder and a level teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda. 2 Eggs, Vanilla extract, I've used some Italian brand but you can use a Vanilla pod or vanilla flavour you can find at the supermarket, a pinch of Salt and 135 grams of Milk.

Firstly I've prepared part of the dry ingredients so I've mixed in a bowl the all purpose flour and the coffee flour so the mix will have a light flavour of coffee. In another bowl I've crushed the 3 bars of Chocolate & Love 71% Rich Dark. I've did this while watching on You Tube an episode of "Man About The House".

In the mixing bowl I've put the Sugar and the Butter that has been  softened at room temperature for at least 1 hour and with my loyal Dualit hand mixer I've started mixing the two ingredients trying to amalgamate them.

Then I've added the Vanilla flavour and here you can use the extract or cut the pod and put the seeds in the mix. After you start mixing again.

Add the 2 Eggs at room temperature, well I never put the eggs in the fridge so they were fine, and mix again in order to have a nice and creamy mixture.

After that add the 10 grams of Baking Powder and the level teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda. Again give it a mix with your hand mixer in order to amalgamate all the ingredients.

Now start adding the two Flours mixed together, adding them while mixing so that no lumps will be left in the mixture. Add the flours little by little. You will see that the mixing will be quite stiff.

Now it is the time to add the Milk, also at room temperature, little by little while using the hand mixer until you have a very smooth mixture. At the end add a Pinch of Fine Salt.

Now add 80 % of the crumbled Chocolate & Love chocolate and mix them with a spatula.

Prepare a muffin tray and line the holes with muffin wrappers. I've used the silicon ones because it is more environmentally friendly, but obviously if you have to give the muffins as a gift or for some party you use the paper ones. I've scooped the mixture using an ice cream spoon so that the quantity was all the same.

I've added on top the remaining Chocolate & Love bits and then I've put them in the oven at 180*/4 for 20 minutes.

Here they are, nice and delicious, with a vague flavour of coffee and the dark chocolate crumbs half melted inside and  crunchy on the outside. They stay in a sealed container for up to 3 days, but I don't think they are going to last that long.

I had mine, still warm with a nice cup of herbal tea and as you can see, with the silicon wrappers they are perfect.