Mocha Orange Muffins

Has it really been more than a month since my last post? I know I said I was going to post at least once a week, but this time I didn't even realize time go by. Wow... guess I am more sleep-deprived than I realized!

Also, and I must be honest here, I don't have that same drive to blog that I had before. I'm still baking and cooking like crazy, but it feels like no one is reading my blog anymore. Hmm. Don't mean to sound whiny here. Just saying. But this week, I got a lovely email from a person I don't know - her name is Cindy - and she just wrote to say hello and that she's a SAHM with two little boys and that she knows how tough a job it can be! And she said 'I look forward to more posts from you'. That really made me want to post again! Thank you, Cindy!!! <3

Today I want to share a lovely muffin recipe again. This one is so unusual and complex that I would classify it 'a grown-up muffin'. Very mildly sweet, a good hit of coffee and orange zest and bittersweet chocolate chips make it a very interesting muffin. A lot of ingredients to organize, but not at all a labor-intensive recipe. I hope you like it!

Mocha Orange Muffins

Makes 6 large or 9 small muffins

Adapted from 'Muffins Galore' by Catherine Atkinson 

Ingredients

150g all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

30g cocoa powder 

2 1/2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

1 heaping tbsp ground coffee 

(Not instant! Freshly ground roasted coffee is best.)

30g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tbsp milk

1 large egg 

1 tsp vanilla

Zest of 1 whole orange 

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F. Line your muffin tin with paper liners. 

2 In a small bowl, cream the butter and slowly add in the yoghurt, the milk and the cream. Whisk together well. 

3. Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk well to combine and set aside. 

4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Stir well to combine. 

5. Add the sugar and coffee powder and mix well. 

6. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the butter mixture. Stir well till just combined and no dry mixture is seen. Don't overmix. 

7. Stir in the chocolate chips and orange zest. 

8. Spoon the batter into the tins and bake for 18-25 minutes (depending on the size of the muffins) or until the tops of the muffins are springy to the touch. 

My husband, the coffee lover, loved these muffins but we both found the orange flavor a little intense. Maybe next time, I'll add less of the zest or even skip it altogether. But if you are someone who loves the combination of orange and chocolate, I would suggest you go with the original measurements!

These muffins, like most muffins, freeze great! There are five sitting in our freezer in a freezer bag waiting to be warmed up for breakfast one morning when I don't feel like baking!

Surprisingly, my daughter ate almost a whole muffin. I thought she wouldn't like the bittersweet taste, but as usual, she surprised me. 

Speaking of my daughter, if you follow me on my Facebook page, you would know how crazy she is about baking. She knows recipes by heart and she's not even four! She really amazes me. This week, we made these cupcakes together. 

Aren't they cute? That's buttercream 'spaghetti', a hazelnut truffle 'meatball', raspberry jam 'tomato sauce' and grated white chocolate 'Parmesan' on a simple buttery vanilla cupcake. Of course, I did a lot of it but she talked me through the whole thing because she's the one who has watched the tutorial video on how to make these! So proud of my little girl! :)

If you want to keep up with what's happening with us and get updates on regular posts and recipes, follow me on Facebook.

Until next time! 

XOXO