Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 2 1/2 cups (320g) all purpose flour*
  1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  1/2 tsp baking soda
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 1/2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
  2 large eggs, room temp
  1/4 cup (65g) sour cream*, room temp
  2 tsp vanilla extract
  2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  2 tbsp vegetable oil
  1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, melted
  1 cup (255ml) buttermilk*, room temp
  2–3 tbsp coarse or raw sugar, for sprinkling
• 1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until completely smooth.
  3. Then mix in the vanilla, maple syrup, and oil followed by the butter and then buttermilk. 
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Stop right when the batter is fully combined – careful not to over mix.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This will give the leaveners a head start, so each muffin bakes with a tall muffin top in the oven. If you’re in a rush, you can bake the batter right away. They just won’t be as domed on top. 
  6. After 1 hour, preheat the oven to 425F and line a muffin (or cupcake) tin with 12 paper liners.
  7. Using an ice cream scoop, gently run the scoop through the bowl of batter. You’ll notice the batter is very fluffy, so be careful not to disrupt this as you scoop. Just run the scoop through the bowl and pull out the batter. Don’t mix it around or bother it too much. 
  8. Over fill each liner just a smidge (see pictures in post for reference). You may have about 1 scoop of batter leftover which is to be expected. 
  9. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of coarse sugar and a pile of mini chocolate chips. Really lay on those chocolate chips as they’ll disperse and spread as the muffins grow (see picture in post for reference). 
  10. Bake at 425F for 8 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 8-10 minutes. You do not need to wait for the temperature to reach 350F to continue baking, simply just adjust the temperature down to 350F and set a timer for 8-10 minutes.
  11. Quickly test a muffin with a toothpick to see if they’re ready, but try not to keep the oven door open for too long as you do not want the hot air to escape. 
  12. Remove the muffins and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then, carefully transfer each muffin to a cooling rack. The muffins may stick to the pan around the bottom edges, so just use a knife to pop them loose if needed.
  13. Let the muffins cool for another 10-15 minutes. They’re best served warm so enjoy!

  Notes

  FLOUR – For accuracy, I recommend weighing the flour if you can. Otherwise, spoon and level the flour when measuring. Do so by lightly spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not shake it or pack it down into the cup, otherwise you’ll end up with dry and dense muffins. 

  BUTTERMILK – You can also make your own buttermilk from whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Measure out 1 cup of milk, then omit one tablespoon. Then stir in 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle before use.

  SOUR CREAM – You can also use full fat Greek yogurt

  STORAGE – After the muffins have cooled completely, keep in an air tight container at room temperature for about 2 days. To keep for longer, store in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 5 days. 

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 C all purpose flour
1 C granulated sugar
2 TBS poppyseeds
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt (or buttermilk)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS freshly grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted and cooled until no longer hot

Glaze
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
Coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease two 12 cup muffin tins or line with muffin liners. If you only have one pan, you can easily bake in separate batches. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking power, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt/buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together once or twice to start combining (stop stirring before it's fully combined; it's okay if there are dry streaks remaining). Add the melted butter and gently fold/stir until just combined. Don't overmix or the muffins might be dry and tough!

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 17-20 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch.

For the glaze, while the muffins bake, simmer the sugar and lemon juice together in a small pan on the stove, for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thickened into a light syrup. Remove from the heat.

Pretty quickly after the muffins come out of the oven (within 2-3 minutes), keeping the muffins in the tin, brush the top of the muffins equally with the lemon syrup. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Let the muffins cool another minute or two in the muffin tin before removing the wire rack to cool completely.