Chocolate-Walnut Muffins
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 4, 2021
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
½ cup walnuts, toasted3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar Pinch table salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch piecesMuffins
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces/248 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon table salt ¾ cup boiling water ¾ cup (2¼ ounces/64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder 5 ounces (142 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1¼ cups packed (8¾ ounces/248 grams) light brown sugar ¾ cup sour cream ¾ cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs, room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup walnuts, toasted and choppedBefore You Begin
For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil and then measure out the desired amount.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.
- Pulse walnuts, flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until walnuts are coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer to bowl; set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk boiling water, cocoa, 2 ounces (57 grams) chocolate, and espresso powder in second bowl until smooth. Whisk in sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Gently fold chocolate mixture into flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in remaining chocolate and walnuts.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with streusel. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 27 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve.
for the streusel
for the muffins
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Makes 12 muffinsIngredients
Streusel
Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
Muffins
Why This Recipe Works
Our goal was a moist, just-sweet-enough, generously sized muffin with plenty of rich chocolate flavor and a characteristically domed top—a decadent breakfast treat that would pair nicely with a cup of coffee. A combination of cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate gave these muffins intense flavor. Folding in some more chopped chocolate provided little pockets of melted chocolate every few bites. We had three means of making our muffins moist: incorporating sour cream, using oil rather than butter, and swapping brown sugar for the granulated. Baking the muffins on a higher rack and at 375 degrees—a bit higher than the 350 degrees at which we'd bake cupcakes—initiated a quick rise to give them a nicely domed top. To solidify the muffin's place as breakfast, we added toasted chopped walnuts to the batter as well as topped the muffins with a walnut streusel.
Before You Begin
For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil and then measure out the desired amount.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.
- Pulse walnuts, flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until walnuts are coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer to bowl; set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk boiling water, cocoa, 2 ounces (57 grams) chocolate, and espresso powder in second bowl until smooth. Whisk in sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Gently fold chocolate mixture into flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in remaining chocolate and walnuts.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with streusel. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 27 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve.
for the streusel
for the muffins
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