Orange and Chocolate Chip Muffins

The final birthday of March and my dessert offerings have bottle necked their way down to muffins. Sorry M. I really wanted to make a Somoa themed brownie but the sketchy Girl Scouts are in stealth mode this year. These however, are not your ordinary dry underachieving, layer cake to Tobias Fünke's Blue Man Group, muffins. They are rather happy with their lot in life. In fact, I think they could take on a fancy layer cake and end up being the heroic underdog. People take an odd comfort in eating a muffin instead of a slice of cake while blissfully ignore the amount of butter, cream, and chocolate. Don't let their unfrostedness fool you. They're incredibly rich and moist.


I know it seems as though I would eat twigs and moss if you covered them with enough dark chocolate, but orange and chocolate are really an incredible combination. Orange takes on a wordly je ne sais quoi when it merges with dark chocolate. It leaves you with a sophisticated, bittersweet aftertaste and asks that you please savour each morsel after proving that this is not just another boring muffin. These are best enjoyed while they are still warm from the oven. The chocolate is much more seductive when it's melted into the tender, zest-infused crumb. If these do survive long enough to see a second day, warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds.


Orange and Chocolate Chip Muffins

(adapted from Bake or Break)

* printer friendly recipe *

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of fresh orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled

1/2 cup of half & half cream

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

1 & 1/4 cups of dark chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease or line 12 muffins cups.

In a large bowl, rub the orange zest into the granulated sugar until it becomes fragrant and coloured. Mix in the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in melted butter, cream, and almond extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Try not to over bake them or else they will be a bit dry. Serve warm.