Chocolate Muffins

I am starting to acknowledge the midwinter festival - I can almost mention that C word. The Ethical Superstore have just had a 25% off sale so I have bought advent calendars and chocolate coins. That brings me to the issue of the of finishing off the Easter Chocolate...honestly. I don't forbid anything (except incest and Morris Dancing as the old saying goes) so any chocolate that we get given goes into a large storage jar and we eat it a little at a time, hence the left over Easter chocolate that is probably best for cooking at this stage.




This is based on a Dan Leopard recipe, yes, my patron Saint if Elasticated Waists. It was originally meant to be made with Dark Chocolate so the more milk chocolate I put in the more I reduce the sugar and to a lesser extent oil.

Makes 12 (huge) or 18 more manageable

50g cornflower
3 tablespoons cocoa
100g dark soft brown sugar (I use whatever I have, which is often a mix of dark muscavado and other lighter sugars)
225g cold water
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Up to 75g butter. If I have 1/2 and 1/2 dark and milk chocolate I reduce this to 65g
125g chocolate
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75ml sunflower oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Up to 125g caster sugar. If I have 1/2 and 1/2 dark and milk chocolate I reduce this to 110g.
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125g plain flour - sifted and well mixed with ....
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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Heat oven to 180'c/160'c fan/350'F/gas mark 4

In a saucepan add the first batch of ingredients: corn flour, cocoa, brown sugar and water and whisk constantly over a medium heat until boiling, thick and smooth (a wrist work out).

Remove from the het and beat in the butter and chocolate until mixed in. Add the oil, vanilla and one egg and beat until combined, then add the other egg and caster sugar and beat until smooth.

Add the flour/ baking powder mixture and beat until smooth.

Put in the paper muffin cases in a muffin tray and bake for 25 mins.

Leave to cool as long as you can hold out then enjoy!