Lifestyle• Recipes

What Olivia Cooked: Chocolate Brownie Muffins

If there’s one sweet treat I’m not sure can be beaten, it’s a good ol’ slice of chocolate cake. Not necessarily the Matilda style stuff (no shouting ‘You can do it, Bruce!’ here) but a nice soggy-bottom free slice that can be popped into a lunch box, taken on a picnic or eaten with a sugary cup of Earl Grey…

…and I guess that’s where the charm of the chocolate muffin lies. It’s a happy mix between a sponge, cupcake- and when made like this, a brownie (no, I’m not sure it gets better either). Now, I know these little bad boys aren’t overly technical- they probably could be smoother, a little fluffier and a bit lighter- but they are so quick and easy to make that they pretty much equate to the perfect Sunday afternoon lets-make-something-for-the-week snack, and it doesn’t get sweeter than that.

You will need:
– 50g Dark Muscovado sugar
– 110g Melted plain chocolate
– 225g Self raising flour
– 1tsp Baking powder
– 225ml milk
– 4 tbsp sunflower oil
– 1 tsp Vanilla extract
– 1 egg
– Choc chips!

1. Sift in the flour, sugar, Vanilla extract and baking powder into a big bowl until combined. Add in the egg, melted chocolate, sunflower oil and milk and mix until smooth (yes, it’s really easy).

2. Spoon your smooth mixture into some muffin cases until about 1/2-3/4 full (allowing space to rise) and pop into the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes until well risen and firm (I always recommend doing the clean knife/cocktail stick test here too- read: inserting into cake, and if it comes out clean, it’s done- if it’s dirty it’s not) but try not to burn them! ; )