Mexican Spiced Chocolate Muffins
Two Dozen Muffins
5 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark cocoa
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 lb. unsalted butter (4 sticks), chilled
3 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder, hydrated in 1 Tbsp hot water
3 cups dark chocolate chips
Coarse sugar to sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2) Line two muffins pans with parchment squares or muffin papers. In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water.
3) In a very large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, granulated sugar, fine sea salt, cinnamon and chili powder.
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and the hydrated espresso.
5) Using a box grater, grate the butter over the dry mix. Use your fingers, or a pastry cutter, to evenly mix the dry and butter, breaking up any large clumps. Add the chocolate chips and then pour in the wet mix.
6) Using a spatula or plastic bowl scraper, fold the ingredients together just until no streaks of dry remain. Portion the batter into the prepared muffin pans, slightly mounding the batter into each paper. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar and bake one tray at a time for roughly 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 12 minutes, until the muffin feels firm to the touch. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before serving (the chocolate will be very hot!)
