Deep Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins

.  So I have a couple of chocolate posts coming up, this one included.  My initial thought was that these would be great recipes for Valentine's Day but...that obviously didn't quite work out.  So what I've done [in my mind] is expanded Valentine's Day chocolate-inspired recipes into the full month of February, just so that I can say I had a legit excuse for going cocoa overboard.  Hopefully I can knock these posts out by the end of the week!

And speaking of chocolate overload, these muffins are nothing short of that.  Seriously.  Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate is all I can conjure up to describe these lovely breakfast treats.  And I say 'breakfast' because let's be real, mini chocolate cakes jam packed with chocolate chunks probably isn't what the dietician is referencing when they say we should start our day with a well rounded meal.

But at the time I made these, my only thoughts were Valentine's Day and who wouldn't want to wake up to a chocolate surprise on that lovey dovey day?  I think we'd all sacrifice our morning routine to indulge in [seriously] moist, gooey, outrageously chocolate muffins [even after they're cooled, the chocolate chunks remain gooey.  I don't know this works?!].  And if not, you've got a problem.

...just kidding...

But who's to say you can't make these for a Saturday morning breakfast?  Or better yet, whip some up tonight [they're easy peasy] for breakfast treats for the coming week.  Your family will thank you each and every morning as they're chomping into these decadent, unique muffins.  Ba-lieve me!

Happy baking!  .

My Notes:

• When I say these muffins are moist, I mean it.  The ingredients are pretty unique from other muffin recipes I've made in that this recipe incorporates both cream cheese and sour cream.  How could you not get a moist muffin out of that?!
• You're free to use chocolate chips or chocolate chunks,  but I would recommend the chunks because the pieces poke out of the top of the muffins making them pretty, pretty!
• The original directions said the recipe only yielded between 9 to 12 muffins but even with packing my muffins cups with batter, I managed to get 18 muffins.  And don't be shy when putting the batter in the cups, it will look like they're overloaded but the muffins don't rise terribly much and you want a big muffin top anyway.

From A Passion for Baking

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Muffins:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. milk

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. cocoa powder

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 scant c. semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

Garnish:

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Place oven rack in center of oven.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth.  Add cream cheese and beat together with butter until smooth.  Blend in sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla extract and blend well.  Fold in sour cream and milk.
3. In a medium bowl, blend together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, making sure no ingredients remain unblended.  Fold in chocolate chunks.
4. Using a large scoop, scoop generous amounts of batter into each muffin cup.  Place a couple of chocolate chunks in the tops of each muffin.  
5. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until muffins spring back when gently pressed.  Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.  When cooled, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Yield: 18 muffins