Chocolate chip muffins

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 210°C and put paper liners in a muffin tin, brushing a little oil on the top of the tin around the cups if you like. A high starting temperature is the secret to tall, domed tops. The oven is ready once it has been steadily hot for about fifteen minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Put 280 g all-purpose flour, 120 g granulated sugar, 50 g brown sugar, 10 g baking powder, 2 g baking soda and a pinch salt in a large bowl and whisk until loose and airy. Mixing the dry ingredients well first helps the muffins rise evenly without long mixing once the liquids go in. The mixture is ready when it's an even color and the brown sugar has no lumps.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   In another bowl, whisk 100 g eggs with 120 g plain unsweetened yogurt, 120 g whole milk, 100 g vegetable oil and 6 g vanilla extract. The acidic yogurt reacts with the baking soda, making the crumb soft and slightly airy. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, with no streaks of yogurt and the oil fully blended in.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Toss 180 g chocolate chips with a tablespoon of the dry mixture until each chip has a thin coating of flour. The flour coating helps the chocolate grip the batter so it doesn't all sink to the bottom. The chips are ready when they're separate and lightly dusted white.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl and fold a few times with a spatula, then add the chocolate and fold a little more, just until no dry flour remains. Minimal mixing keeps the muffins tender and lets the tops crack naturally. The batter is ready when it's thick, a little lumpy and has chocolate throughout.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Spoon the batter into the liners until they're very full, almost level with the top of the cups, dividing it evenly among twelve cups. Full cups combined with high heat create big, rounded bakery-style tops. The cups are ready when the batter is the same height in each and mounded slightly in the center.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Scatter 30 g chocolate chips over each muffin and sprinkle lightly with 10 g granulated sugar. The chocolate on top keeps its tempting shape, and the sugar forms a sweet, crunchy crust. The tops are ready when they're evenly dotted with chocolate and sparkling with sugar.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Bake at 210°C for the first 5 to 6 minutes. The intense heat makes the leaveners burst into action, pushing the centers up high before the crust has time to set. They're ready for the next stage when the tops have clearly puffed up compared with when they went in.

   Bake at 210°C for about 5 to 6 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 14 to 17 minutes. The lower heat cooks the inside evenly without burning the tops. The muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and slightly cracked and a skewer comes out with only melted chocolate on it, not wet batter.

   Bake at 180°C for about 14 to 17 minutes.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Let the muffins rest in the tin for about ten minutes, then move them to a rack to cool. The chocolate inside is still very hot, so waiting a little makes them safer and easier to eat. They're ready when they feel firm in your hand and the paper liners are no longer damp with steam.

    Suggested time: about 10 minutes.

    Mark step 10 as done