Chocolate for breakfast is kind of a thing for us here at the King casa – one of my children would go to school hungry if I didn’t give her something slathered in Nutella every morning.  The only time she’ll make an exception is when there’s a chocolate muffin involved.  This is only one of our favorite chocolate muffin recipes the other I will share with you soon – but let’s be honest and admit that sometimes, we eat an unfrosted cupcake for breakfast and call it a muffin so we can pull it off.  These are so decadent that a swirl of frosting on top would make for an epic cupcake, but because some nights (particularly the ones with newborn babies) require sweet chocolately mornings, I’m going to call these muffins and feel really good about it.

Ingredients –

2/3 cup dutch process cocoa (you can totally use normal cocoa, but the dark and decadent factor goes through the roof when you use the good stuff)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon espresso powder (I don’t have any so I don’t use this)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 cup butter melted (or you can use 1/3 cup vegetable oil – I like to use coconut oil but those pictured have butter)

course sugar or pearl sugar for topping

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.  Line standard muffin pan with cups and grease the bottoms of your cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso (if using) baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl , whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and vinegar.  Add the wet ingredients, along with the melted butter, to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; there’s no need to beat these muffins, just mix until combined.
4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin.  Sprinkle with raw sugar or pearl sugar.  Note that the cups will be heaped with batter and the muffin will bake into a mushroom shape.
5. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes – mine are usually done closer to 20, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and after 5 minutes take muffins out of the pan and allow them to cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before eating.  I individually wrap what we don’t eat the first day or two and put them in the freezer so we can defrost in the morning and eat them for weeks.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour Chocolate Breakfast Muffins – side note, their website is so awesome and their Instagram feed is beautiful so check it if you’re into food!