Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins

Some things just seem to go together in foodie world. Think of bacon and eggs. Fish and chips. Steak and kidney. Sausage and mash. Each very nice on its own, but somehow so much more wonderful together. Well, I think I’ve found my latest “horse-and-carriage”  – dried cranberries and chocolate. Ok, it may trip off the tongue, but oh my, together, they’re rather gorgeous on the tongue. This week I set myself the task of creating something with these two favourite ingredients and I’ve come up with a recipe for muffins. As with all muffins, a quick, light touch is essential. Don’t over-mix them or they’ll be heavy and stodgy, when what you want is light and luscious. I may have broken my own golden rule today and slightly over-mixed them, but the official testers gave them the thumbs up, so I’ll leave it to them to decide.

I’ve kept to cups for measuring – makes it nice and simple – and all you need for this recipe is two bowls, measuring spoons and a large metal spoon for stirring.

INGREDIENTS

Dry
2 cups flour with 2 tablespoons flour removed
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup golden caster sugar

Wet
2 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Line a 12-hole muffin tin or 2 x 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases.
This recipe makes about 20  smallish cupcakes, fewer large muffins.

Preheat the oven to 175 C

METHOD

1. Measure out two cups of plain flour, then remove two tablespoons of flour.
2. Now, sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
3. In another bowl mix together all the wet ingredients
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and, working quickly fold lightly together.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and the dried cranberries
6.  Quickly spoon the mixture into the prepared cases , half filling them, and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre muffin comes out clean.
7. Remember, as with brownies, slightly underdone muffins are better than overdone.

Sifted dry ingredients on the left, and wet ingredients on the right, ready for mixing.

They taste lovely when still slightly warm. Can’t say how long they’ll keep. Nothing keeps for very long in my house 😉