Scribbles & Munch

      Ok, first things first: you do know, don't you, that there was a devastating earthquake in Nepal? The death toll is literally rising by the hour, with continuing aftershocks, some of which are reaching the same magnitude as Seattle's Nisqually quake of 2001 (6.8). So are you getting a tax return this spring? Great--so spare $25 (or more) and chip in for the relief. There are lots of great ways to help out, but my favorite is the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Go for it.

      Now that you've done your good deed for the day, you can reward yourself with chocolate! And not just any chocolate--chocolate for breakfast! My grandmother ate chocolate cake for breakfast for decades, and was a pretty healthy woman who lived to a comfortable old age. I want to be just like her. But sometimes, eating slices of Devil's Food Cake with Fudge Frosting first thing in the morning isn't what I'm looking for. I need something that still feels breakfasty. I looked high and low, and found my options wanting. I found plenty of muffins and coffee cakes containing chocolate chips. And of course I have my trusty Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, but none of those were really scratching the itch.
      Then I remembered those Costco muffins I ate as a kid. You know the ones I'm talking about: the ones as big as an infant's head, studded with chocolate chips, that come four at a time in that cardboard pallet with 4 poppyseed (pretty tasty), 4 blueberry (meh), and four Mystery Strudel muffins (meeehhhhh). There was something wickedly satisfying about biting into one of those enormous pastries, and they weren't half bad. But ultimately they had that processed baked good flavor that promised to stay moist and mold-free for a suspiciously long time, and the chocolate flavor was...well...not completely genuine. Plus the size basically guarantees diabetes if you eat one of those a day. So I took them a my inspiration and started mixing my own Ultimate Chocolate Muffin.

      I chose to use cocoa powder and chocolate chips, because the muffin itself should be chocolatey, and those little bursts of pure chocolate add so much. I also decided to use a bit of spelt flour, to add a little nuttiness to the flavor and pretend that I'm making health food. Finally, I decided to add a bit of chopt walnut to the top. This is for crunch, protein, and - again - to pretend that I'm being healthy. The result was a tender, chocolatey muffin that deeply satisfied! It hit all the right flavors and textures, felt like an honest-to-goodness treat, but still tasted like breakfast. So it is with great satisfaction that today I give you:

Z.D.'s Start-Your-Day-With-Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
1/3 Cup white sugar
1/3 Cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup spelt flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 Cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
2/3 C milk (not skim)
1/3 C Greek yogurt (not non-fat)
3/4 Cup chocolate chunks*
1/3 Cup finely chopt walnuts

Directions:
 - Pre-heat your oven to 350º F, and prep 2 dozen regular-size muffin cups either by lining them with paper liners, or greasing them (I like clarified butter for greasing, myself).
 - Using an electric stand mixer, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

In the past I've been impatient with this stage of baking, and haven't allowed sufficient time for my butter to become truly "light and fluffy." But I'm telling you, give it a couple extra minutes, and the final texture will pay off incredibly! Just keep scraping the sides down with a rubber spatula and ask yourself, "Does this really seem fluffy?" And if the answer's "no," let it keep beating for a couple more minutes.

 - Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the flours, salt, soda, and baking powder. Then sift in the cocoa powder. Whisk to thoroughly combine.

No sifter? No problem! A fine-mesh sieve does the trick just fine.

 - Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating on high speed for at least one full minute before adding the next.

Another baking stage I always wanted to skimp on. You really can't over-mix at this stage, just let those eggs get beaten in like there's no tomorrow! When you're done, the mixture will be fluffy and yellow, like a good vanilla buttercream.

 - In a small bowl (or large measuring cup) stir together the milk and yogurt until thoroughly combined. Reduce your mixer to low speed, then alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Looking chocolatey? Oh, yes, it's chocolatey!

 - Fill each muffin cup about 2/3rds with your batter, and sprinkle the top of each with about a teaspoon of the walnuts. Bake 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few most crumbs attached.

And with the walnuts on top, it HAS to be healthy!

      I kept these muffins comparatively low in sugar, which actually helps the chocolate flavor stand out and - frankly - makes them way better for you than chocolate breakfast cereals. A couple of these beauties go a long way, so pair with a good protein, a big portion of fruit, and a nice cup of your caffeinated beverage of choice, and you have a breakfast of champions, my friend. And the nice thing about muffins is that they'll keep a for a few days if you just leave them in the tins and lightly cover with plastic wrap. So that hectic Monday you're dreading tomorrow? You already know it's going to start on a good note: chocolate.



*I've said it before, and I'll say it again--don't waste your money on chocolate chips! Buy big blocks of quality baking chocolate and chop them yourself! The taste and texture will be much better, and a better value for your money.