This weekend, I finally took the time to try out one of my Christmas gifts by testing Bernard's famous recipe for atomic chocolate muffins. Yes, I know I'm not very early, but um... my colleagues can testify to the fact that I'm mad about the calendar this year... So I took advantage of a somewhat quiet weekend to test out my super new Wilton muffin tray, spotted at Bernard's. I usually find that the baked goods we buy aren't as good as the homemade ones. For chocolate muffins, on the other hand, I'd never managed to find a recipe with the airy, fluffy texture you'd find in the shops (so far, my favorite top recipe is Quick's, although I must admit that Starbucks puts up a pretty good fight).
Large crown muffin pan, the secret of Starbucks-style chocolate muffins[/caption]
A perfect, airy, swollen dome[/caption]
The shape, the puffiness and the airiness of industrial chocolate muffins (but natural and much better!). The texture is brilliant, light thanks to the use of cocoa (instead of dark chocolate, which gives much denser textures, as on my chocolate moelleux). This is clearly the best chocolate muffin recipe I've ever tried (with the exception of the white chocolate muffin recipe, which is one of my classics but which I've never taken the time to share with you).
As I didn't have any milk chocolate on hand, I replaced the chips with white chocolate. The bitter cocoa/white chocolate mix is a real success, but I found that the whole thing lacked a little sugar, so I'll increase the proportion of chocolate next time to bring in a little more sugar without upsetting the bitter/sweet balance.
For the rest, these chocolate muffins are perfect, don't change a thing!
The chicago metallic tip for Starbucks-style chocolate muffins
So for Christmas I ordered THE secret weapon for making atomic muffins: Wilton's "chicago metallic" large crown muffin pan molds. Unfortunately, these molds are impossible to find in France and can only be delivered to the UK. So I took advantage of a friend's trip to England to have these little marvels delivered to me. The trouble is that the rarity of these molds makes them a rather overpriced item for a kitchen accessory... So I'm going to owe my friend a few more (hundred) batches before I pay my debt (that'll teach me to order gifts without asking!). [caption id="attachment_4060" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Large crown muffin pan, the secret of Starbucks-style chocolate muffins[/caption]
Chocolate muffins
On paper, the molds don't look revolutionary: simply a plate with twelve deep indentations. But what you can't see in the photo is that it's huge (and therefore extremely heavy)! There's no need to place it on a rack: the plate is cut to the size of the oven and slides directly into the rails. So it's super convenient for loading/unloading, it doesn't slip and there's no risk of knocking over one or two molds, as is the case with the individual ones.The only point to correct: a taste of too little!
Secondly, the size is perfect for making big, fluffy muffins! I tested Bernard's recipe as is, and I think the result speaks for itself (although I'll make one and a half times the recipe next time, having run out of dough on the last few impressions). You have to fill the moulds to the brim to get that mushroom-like effect: [caption id="attachment_4592" align="aligncenter" width="567"] A perfect, airy, swollen dome[/caption]
The shape, the puffiness and the airiness of industrial chocolate muffins (but natural and much better!). The texture is brilliant, light thanks to the use of cocoa (instead of dark chocolate, which gives much denser textures, as on my chocolate moelleux). This is clearly the best chocolate muffin recipe I've ever tried (with the exception of the white chocolate muffin recipe, which is one of my classics but which I've never taken the time to share with you).
As I didn't have any milk chocolate on hand, I replaced the chips with white chocolate. The bitter cocoa/white chocolate mix is a real success, but I found that the whole thing lacked a little sugar, so I'll increase the proportion of chocolate next time to bring in a little more sugar without upsetting the bitter/sweet balance.
For the rest, these chocolate muffins are perfect, don't change a thing!
Chocolate muffins with white chocolate chips
- 75 g unsweetened cocoa (Van Houten type)
- 190 g sugar
- 170 g flour
- 150 g milk
- 150 g melted butter
- 190 g egg ((about 4 medium eggs))
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda ( )
- 150 g white chocolate pieces ((I'll use 200 g next time))
- Preheat oven to 190°C and weigh out all ingredients.
- Mix cocoa, eggs, sugar, milk and melted butter until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate (this is necessary to distribute the leavening agents evenly throughout the dough).
- Add the flour to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Then add the white chocolate, cut into large squares.
- Lightly grease the molds and line with crates for easy unmolding.
- Fill each mould to the brim and bake for 25 to 30 minutes (25 minutes for me at 165°C in the fan oven).
- Wait 5 minutes and unmould!
