Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 10 – 12

2 cups flour
⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅔ cup milk
2 eggs
125g butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups large chocolate chips or chunks (I used a mix of broken Nestlé buttons and chocolate drops)

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder and the salt.
In a separate bowl mix together the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture.  Stir to combine, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans and bake at 200˚C for 15 – 20 minutes.

*If you want, when you add the chocolate, add in ½ cup of pecans.

 
I iced the muffins using Betty Crocker milk chocolate frosting.  The papers are from Karyn!  And, yes, I know I said I was going to watch what I eat, but oh well.

Rocky Road Muffins

I made these last Thursday (treats for the long weekend) along with White chocolate macadamia nut muffins (which I will also write a post about) and some more pecan shortbread (yep, I was a busy little baker).

I found these to taste more like massive lollies than muffins – they aren't very light and fluffy.  Still yum though.

Makes about 12.

¼ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup natural yoghurt
50g butter, melted (I put this in softened, not melted because I wasn’t paying attention, so perhaps this is why muffins were more lolly-like than cake-like)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup small marshmallows
½ cup roughly chopped chocolate (I used Nestlé bits)
½ cup peanuts
½ cup jubes (I used a pack of The Natural Confectionary company’s snake lollies, and cut up the pink and purple ones for the muffins)

Mix milk, yoghurt, egg and butter together.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon into well-greased muffin pans or cases and bake at 180˚C for 12-15 minutes.


For icing: Heat 1 tablespoon of cocoa, butter and milk together with icing sugar to form a paste.

The cases I used came from the ‘1,2,3 + GST’ shop in Auckland City, next to Borders.  While I don’t think they are that pretty from the outside, they are kinda cool because the inside is shiny so the muffins don’t stick to the casing.

Baking Bits…

Just ogling some awesome baking related stuff and thought I would share.
I definitely think cupcakes are cool, so I am possibly in need of this t-shirt to share this love with others? Yes?



The t-shirt is from DRESSiNG oN THE SiDE, available through etsy.  They also make other cute food related tees, such as this little number:

Mmmmm… doughnuts and pie.  I could sooo eat the scroll covered in icing in the picture.  If I am what I eat, does that make me sweet?  Or am I just a piggy?