I absolutely love muffins (healthy or otherwise - usually otherwise). They’re dead simple to make, but they are a delight to eat.

So when I was going to visit my great uncle last weekend and didn’t have time to properly bake I decided to combine some flavours I know he and I both love: dark chocolate and lime and make muffins.

I didn’t have a recipe, so I took a quick look around the corners of the internet and came up with… nothing. Not one single, decent looking recipe for muffins that includes dark chocolate and lime. In times of such troubles we all turn to things we know well, and I went to the shelf and found my little book of muffins - Muffin Magic. This wonderful little book is crammed with recipes, and whilst it didn’t have exactly what I was after, it had a couple of recipes that could be put together to come up with something that resembled a proper recipe.

It was all going so well: the mixture looked great, they rose, and tasted pretty good. Clearly it was just too easy, but I had a niggling feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

Fast forward to half past one in the morning and I woke up (not quite in cold sweats, but almost). I knew what that niggle was. I’d forgotten the eggs. Yes, one of the most basic of the basics of baking and I’d completely forgotten to crack them in. Who forgets the egg in a cake? Apparently me…

So, note to self: next time don’t let the dog or any other distractions get in the way whilst making muffins and remember to add all of the ingredients. All things considered though, they were pretty tasty.

Dark Chocolate and Lime Muffins

This recipe came from Muffin Magic (it started as ‘triple chocolate chunkies’) and makes about 12 large-ish muffins.

Ingredients

300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2.5 tbsp cocoa powder
160g caster sugar
1/2 tbsp icing sugar
150g dark chocolate
zest and juice of 1 lime
125ml sour cream
100ml milk
85g butter
2 eggs (not really optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C and put the muffin cases into the tray.

Partially melt the butter, then add in the sugar and cream the two together until they are light. Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa before mixing it all together. Chop the dark chocolate finely and stir into the mixture.

Beat the eggs lightly in a jug (try to remember this step, seemingly it’s quite important) before adding in the sour cream, milk and lime zest. Pour the wet ingredients on to the ‘dry’, about a quarter at a time, mixing continuously.

Once all of the is combined spoon it into the prepared muffin tray in large dollops. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Remove from the tin and place on a wire baking tray.

Mix the lime juice and the icing sugar together with a tablespoon of water. Whisk these until the sugar has all disolved. Prod a couple of small holes into the top of the hot muffins and dibble the lime juice over each muffin, doing it a little at a time to allow it to sink in.

Leave until cool enough to eat and then dig in.

by Craig
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