Makes: 12
Time: About 40 minutes
Chocolate goes with practically everything—even breakfast. Use the variations that follow as a guide to fold in fruit, nuts, and spices to your liking. Dutch-process cocoa powder gives these muffins intense color and flavor. These are best eaten warm, while the chocolate chunks are still melted.
1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with a little oil or line it with paper or foil muffin cups.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to combine everything. Gently fold ¾ cup of the chopped chocolate into the batter.
4. Distribute the batter among the muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chopped chocolate evenly over the muffins. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature or cover tightly and keep at room temperature for a couple days.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE MUFFINS Substitute unsweetened almond milk for the milk. Replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tablespoons water; let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until gel-like before using.
CHOCOLATE BUCKWHEAT MUFFINS Substitute buckwheat flour for ½ cup of the all-purpose flour. Increase the milk to 1¼ cups.
BLACK AND WHITE MUFFINS Substitute chopped white chocolate for the chopped dark chocolate.
CHOCOLATE S’MORES MUFFINS Dessert for breakfast: Reduce the chopped dark chocolate to ½ cup and add ¼ cup crushed graham crackers and ½ cup mini marshmallows to the batter. To make the streusel topping, combine 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted, with ¼ cup sugar, ⅓ cup chopped marshmallows, and ⅓ cup crushed graham crackers. Top each muffin with a spoonful of streusel before baking.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS Dollop a tablespoon of peanut butter on top of each muffin before baking; swirl the peanut butter into the batter with a toothpick or a knife.
CHOCOLATE CHERRY MUFFINS Substitute pitted and chopped fresh cherries for the dark chocolate.
CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS Chocolate-banana is a great combination, but if you want to kick the flavor up another notch, eat the muffins with a swipe of peanut butter: Mash 1 to 2 ripe bananas into the egg mixture.
ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE MUFFINS Double down on the caffeine: Whisk 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder into the flour mixture.
CHOCOLATE ALMOND MUFFINS Replace the vanilla extract with ½ teaspoon almond extract. Substitute sliced almonds for the dark chocolate.
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE MUFFINS Whisk 2 teaspoons cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon cayenne or chili powder into the flour mixture.
4 Irresistible Add-Ins for Double-Chocolate Muffins