Spiced Chocolate Chip Muffins
World peace is a long way from happening but if you give a stranger a muffin, how could they not be happy? These particular spiced chocolate chip muffins are deliciously soft and moist with a crunchy muffin top. The cinnamon and nutmeg work together to make the chocolate stand out. I’ve tried many different combinations of ingredients and techniques and this one is by far the best.
This muffin recipe couldn’t be any easier. You can bang these out in less than an hour. The batter comes together in minutes, so you just have to wait and watch them floof in the oven. Try not to drool when the smell of these little treats hits your nose.
Why two oven temperatures?
So the reason you want to start your bake at a higher temperature is to ensure that you get that quintessential muffin top that everyone loves. You essentially shock the dough and cause the leavening agents inside to rise rapidly and crisp on top. However you don’t want it to burn, 5 minutes is usually enough time to achieve this.
Do I have to use buttermilk?
Buttermilk isn’t always a common household ingredient. Unless you love making fried chicken as much as I do. The reason I use buttermilk is because the acidity in it makes that wonderful fluffy yet crumbly texture that makes a muffin taste like a muffin. If you don’t have any, you can easily substitute this for another dairy; milk, sour cream, yogurt, or even heavy cream are all viable options.
You can also make a “quick” buttermilk if you have whole milk. Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and allow it sit for about 10 minutes. You should see the milk start to curdle.
Spiced Chocolate Chip Muffins Step by Step:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line muffin cups with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray. Set aside. Place the butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Then add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted & cooled butter, vanilla extract, eggs, and buttermilk until egg yolks are broken and blended. Mixture may be lumpy – this is okay.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir, scraping along the bottom and pressing down on top. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients have all been moistened. Batter should be very thick (like cookie dough) and a little lumpy. It is super important that you don’t overmix the dough.
Once combined, mix in chocolate chips.
Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full, roughly 1/4 to 1/3 cup of muffin mix. If desired, press extra chocolate chips on top of the batter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 5 minutes then lower the temp to 350 degrees F and bake another 13 -15 minutes or until tops of muffins are puffed and golden brown.
Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Serve immediately.
Spiced Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
- 1-2 Regular Sized Muffin Pans (12)
- 16 Parchment Liners
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, I use mini semi-sweet
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raw/course sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Line muffin cups with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray. Set aside. Place the butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt. Set aside and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Then add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together melted & cooled butter, vanilla extract, eggs, and buttermilk* until egg yolks are broken and blended. Mixture may be lumpy, but this is normal.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir, scraping along the bottom and pressing down on top. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients have all been moistened. Batter should be very thick (like cookie dough) and a little lumpy. Once combined, mix in chocolate chips.
- Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full, roughly 1/4 to 1/3 cup of muffin mix. If desired, press extra chocolate chips on top of the batter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 5 minutes then lower the temp to 350 degrees F (176 C) and bake another 13 -15 minutes or until tops of muffins are puffed and golden brown.
- Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for about a week.