Chocolate Espresso Muffins with Chocolate Chips and Goat Cheese

Chocolate Espresso Muffins with Choc. Chips and Goat Cheese

Not all of my experiments make it on to the blog, but Lin -- I take something to her on Mondays when we paint ---likes these muffins so much, she asked me to post the recipe.   

So, I made them again today to be sure that the recipe really works.   Maybe I should name them Not To Be Forgotten Muffins.  I went upstairs to do something and then forgot all about them!  Yikes --- I am sure that I am not the first person who has done that.  Luckily they weren't burnt, just overdone, by the time I remembered.

Anyway, next to soups, I like to experiment with muffins the most.  I use the Yellow Farmhouse master recipe, then make different combinations, depending on the season, and what's on hand.  A while ago, I was cleaning out the fridge and made some awesome muffins that were more like peach cobbler because the amount of fruit in them made them a little wet.  They were mango, banana and goat cheese.  But they seemed peachy.  Tom, who is a big peach cobbler fan, ate one as his treat every night, heated, with ice cream, until they were gone. 

So with that success behind me, I started thinking about the goat cheese element -- it is tangy, yet creamy, and very effective in a muffin.  Once, I saw a goat cheese brownie recipe, which gave me the idea for a chocolate muffin with goat cheese.   And if I added espresso then they might stay more like an adult breakfast muffin, than dessert.  I did not want them to be too sweet.

When I went to bake, I was almost out of flour, so I used half whole wheat flour and half regular flour.  Today, I was completely out of regular flour, so I used cake flour and whole wheat, a good combo, it turns out.

I'd say that the secret to a good muffin is buttermilk and not overmixing your batter.  Otherwise they are easy and fun to experiment with.

Chocolate Espresso Muffins

8 T. (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour or cake flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 - 2 T. espresso powder, depending on much you like mocha
1/2 c. cocoa powder, Hershey's is fine
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 c. plus 1 T. sugar
2-3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
raw sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease muffin pan.  Makes 12 large muffins.

Melt the butter in the microwave, and let it cool.  In a large bowl, whisk two eggs together and add the vanilla and cooled butter, and whisk until frothy.

Measure out your buttermilk and then add the espresso powder to it and whisk it together until it dissolves.

Measure out your dry ingredients, except the sugar, in another bowl and be sure to whisk them  together to evenly distribute the leavening ingredients and the salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, and stir until it is about half mixed.

On top of this mixture, add the chocolate chips, the goat cheese, the sugar. 

Then pour buttermilk with espresso over everything

Using a large spatula, gently mix it all together, just until it combined.  Be sure your batter is wet enough.  If it is too dry, add another 1/4 cup of buttermilk and gently mix it in.

Divide into 12 portions, using a 1/3 measuring cup.

Sprinkle raw sugar on top for crunch.

Bake for 25 minutes, or a little longer if they seem wet, but do not overbake. 

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to continue to cool.

Best when served warm.  Great with your morning coffee.

P.S  Can't wait for my camera to come back from the Geek Squad repair shop.  I don't know how anyone takes an iPhoto indoors without it being blurry.