I’d like to take a brief moment to talk about cupcakes. Personally, I find it a little odd that the popularity of the cupcake has reached such epic proportions.
- There are tv shows about cupcakes.
- There are blogs dedicated solely to cupcakes.
- There are bakeries that only sell cupcakes.
I suppose I kind of get it. I can’t deny that they are cute, fun and tasty. The good people of the world love their cupcakes. Some people even pay a lot money for these ridiculously overpriced 4 inch sugar injected treats.
Certainly though, cupcakes aren’t the only delicious little baked good that can bring a smile to someones mouth.
In all honesty, I don’t really have anything against cupcakes. I enjoy making them and eating them from time to time, but I am not writing an ode to cupcakes today. Nope, I figure they all ready get way too much attention on their own. Instead, I’ve decided to dedicate this post to another yummy, easy to make, fantastic to eat and totally underrated treat.
Muffins.
Yup. Muffins.
Can anybody explain to me why these cutie pies don’t they get any of the fun-loving attention they deserve?
Some of you might say, “A muffin? Seriously? Is she really sticking up for bland, predictably boring muffins? They are dry, they are plain, they don’t deserve any homage!”
Well, to those who may think that, I have to tell you, I strongly disagree.
Muffins are fantastic!
First of all, they aren’t as delicate as their fancy-shmancy cousins the cupcakes who always get all dressed up with their icings and decorations. And because muffins don’t have that all of that sugary goop on top they are much easier to transport, store and share.
Muffins are like the girl next door in the world of baking; relaxed, down to earth and low maintenance.
Also, muffins aren’t made with as many eggs, butter and sugar as cupcakes, so while they are still a sweet treat, they have far less calories and fat than the snobby little cupcake.
I will even go as far as to say (if made correctly) muffins can be one of the very best bakery items around.
Having said that, I have been on quite a mission over the past 3 years searching for the most perfect chocolate chip muffin recipe in the world.
I would estimate that I have tried at least 15 different recipes; some have been absolute trash worthy, others mediocre and others, while very good, surely not title worthy of “The Best.”
Along the way, I have been very fortunate to find a few fantastic muffin recipes which I hold near and dear to my heart.
I’ve filed away a fresh lemon muffin recipe that is filled with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. I have also added to my collection a wonderful and moist coffee cake muffin recipe that serves as wonderful comfort food on cold hurried mornings. But my absolute favorite is a larger than life blueberry muffin that is to die for, and has been rightfully named so by its creator, Colleen, at AllRecipes.
Oh, blueberry muffins! How I praise thee!
From the very beginning of blueberry season right up to the very end these muffins are some-what of a staple in our home. These very muffins have been plentiful in our kitchen for the past two years and will be, I expect, until the end of time.
Now, you may be asking yourself what is it exactly that I consider the qualities of a fabulous muffin.
Well, to start with, I love a harder and somewhat chewy, almost flakey outside that surrounds a dense, moist and pillowy like inside. It’s important to me that the feature ingredients are distributed evenly throughout, not overwhelming the muffin but truly not leaving any bite deprived. I look for a sweet (but not too sweet) batter and I LOVE when all of the flavors in a muffin, from the first bite to the last, marry well but more importantly stand out slightly on their own.
This leads me back to my search of the ultimate chocolate chip muffin. I disappointingly found in nearly all of the recipes I had tried that the muffins were extremely dry and the chocolate chips would be just that, chocolate bits that didn’t blend in with the rest of the muffin. The outsides were too hard and always fairly (if not terribly) bland. Overall, the treats always faired very disappointing and not worth making again.
Yesterday, however, I decided to take my very favorite blueberry muffin recipe and throw caution to wind. I made a few minor, very simple changes and ended up with the most perfect, absolutely delicious and to die for chocolate chip muffin.
Now, it certainly wouldn’t be nice of me to brag and tease you with all of this talk about the two best muffins that I’ve ever made without sharing with you the recipes, would it?
Below you will find the both of the recipes that I’ve adapted from Colleens original recipe, which you can find here. You will see that the batter is exactly the same for both recipes, with the exception of the stars… blueberries or chocolate chips. You will also notice that the topping is almost identical; the only change is the addition of cocoa powder for the chocolate chip muffins.
OR…
METHOD…
I do hope that you will take a few minutes (yes, they are very easy) to create the very best muffins you have ever made and better yet, ever ate.
Your taste buds will thank you, your family will thank you!
And you will be thankful that you can enjoy these spectacular little things just moments after taking them out of the oven. Nope, you won’t have to wait for them to cool off before dressing them up with fancy things before indulging like other certain treats.
Enjoy!
Ginger Couturier 