Double-Chocolate Mini Muffins
# Double-Chocolate Mini Muffins
These small cocoa muffins use yogurt for moisture and a fixed amount of miniature chocolate chips for evenly distributed chocolate. The formula avoids product-dependent cake mix and unspecified sweetener. Natural cocoa, flour, and measured leaveners create a straightforward batter with a defined yield and doneness endpoint.
## Yield and timing
Makes 24 mini muffins, 8 servings of 3. Preparation: 15 minutes. Baking: 10–13 minutes. Oven: 350°F (175°C).
## Equipment
– 24-cup mini muffin pan
– Two mixing bowls
– Whisk
– Flexible spatula
– Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
– Small cookie scoop, optional
– Wire cooling rack
– Instant-read thermometer or wooden pick
## Ingredients
– Nonstick baking spray
– 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
– 1/3 cup (28 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 cup (120 g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
– 1/3 cup (80 ml) pure maple syrup
– 1/3 cup (80 ml) low-fat milk
– 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup (55 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided
## Method
1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Coat a 24-cup mini muffin pan with baking spray, making sure the corners of each well are covered.
2. In the first bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Break up every visible cocoa lump. In the second bowl, whisk the egg, yogurt, maple syrup, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth and uniform.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Fold with a flexible spatula just until only a few flour streaks remain. Fold in 1/4 cup (about 40 g) of the miniature chips. Stop mixing as soon as the batter is uniform; prolonged stirring can make small muffins tough.
4. Divide the batter among all 24 wells, filling each about three-quarters full. A small cookie scoop helps keep the yield exact. Scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chips, about 15 g, over the tops, aiming for two or three chips per muffin.
5. Bake for 10–13 minutes, rotating the pan once after 8 minutes if the oven browns unevenly. The muffins are done when the tops spring back, a wooden pick inserted away from a melted chip comes out without wet batter, and the center of a representative muffin is about 200°F (93°C). Begin checking at 10 minutes because mini muffins dry quickly.
6. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a narrow silicone spatula, then move them to a wire rack. Cool at least 10 more minutes before serving; melted chips can be hot.
## Storage and substitutions
Store completely cooled muffins in a covered container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in a microwave. Refrigerate or freeze within 2 hours if the room is unusually warm.
Whole-wheat pastry flour may replace all-purpose flour by weight. Dutch-process cocoa is not a direct swap here because the baking soda relies partly on natural cocoa’s acidity. Unsweetened soy milk can replace dairy milk, and thick nondairy yogurt can replace Greek yogurt. Regular-size chocolate chips may be chopped before measuring. For 12 standard muffins, use a standard pan and begin checking at 17 minutes; bake to the same doneness cues rather than relying on time alone.
