Chocolate Chips & Vanilla Muffins

The name 'muffin' either comes from the French word 'moufflet', meaning a soft bread, or from the German word 'muffe' which is the name for a type of cake. Maybe it would be better to describe them as a cross between a bread and a cake.

'American-style' muffins use a chemical leavener (baking powder or baking soda) for rising. English Muffins are made from a yeast dough. If you are a muffin fan, you can go ga-ga! over making muffins. There could be hunfreds of variations, it's all left to the expert baker to come up with something that's unique and delightful.

The recipe given here calls for either vegetable oil (lighter version with a more bread-like texture) or butter (for a richer flavour). The picture shows a more cake-like muffin with butter instead of oil, hence the lovely crust.

Get the full recipe here...

Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 45 mins Makes: 15-18 muffins Ingredients: Method of Preparation: 3 cups white flour 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup veg oil / butter 3/4 cup milk 3 eggs 3 tsps baking powder 3 tsps vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the oil/butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture a little at a time into the wet ingredients; Combine all the ingredients - but do not overmix the muffin batter. Add the chocolate chips and mix lightly. Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins and bake at 160 -180 deg for about 20 - 30 minutes. Personal Notes: It's important NOT TO OVERMIX muffin batter. Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour which will produce a tough and dense muffin with tunnels. Just a few strokes should do to combine the ingredients. The batter should still be lumpy. The higher sugar and fat content in a muffin, you will have a richer cake-like muffin with a softer crumb. The increased fat content also minimizes the development of gluten. If using a dark colored pan, reduce the oven temperature a bit because dark colored pans absorb more heat, so they become hotter than light colored pans. Paper or foil muffin cup liners are sometimes used to line the muffin pans. They help to make clean-up easier but they also help to keep the muffins moist and help prevent them from drying out. However, if you like your muffins to have a crust, do not use paper liners. Instead, spray the muffin pan with a non stick vegetable spray. Make sure you do not overbake muffins or they will be dry. A dressed muffin (with icing, toppings or decorations) would be referred to as a cupcake, because it resembles a miniature cake! Fruit, nuts, chocolate, spices, cornmeal, bran, oats may be added to give the muffins texture and flavor. Toppings (frostings) can transform a plain basic muffin into something special. Reference: http://www.joyofbaking.com/muffins/muffins.html Compare other Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=muffins Google Images: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=muffins Google Book Search: http://books.google.com/books?q=muffins Courtesy: CrazyaboutBaking.blogspot.com

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Instructions for Printing & Assembling the Recipe Card 1. In Print Preview: Select Print Size - Shrink to Fit. 2. In Print Mode: Select Portrait / A4 / Normal or Best. 3. To Assemble the Card: Fold along the (bottom) dotted line. Cut along the (sides) dotted lines. Cut a straight line about 1 cm away from the (top) dotted line. Punch 2 holes in the 1 cm tab, to place the card in a file/organizer. Stick front to back of card to make a firm recipe card. Alternatively, cut on the dotted lines and stick on to heavy paper. Your card is ready. Enjoy! [ see diagram for instructions ]