Name: Chocolate Chip Muffins
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: Vegetable oil spray; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon table salt; 1½ cups plain yogurt; 2 large eggs; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled; 1 cup chocolate chips

Why This Recipe Works

Make family breakfast extra-special by baking a batch of these stir-together chocolate chip muffins with the kids in your life. Step 4 of this recipe warns kids not to overmix the batter, which is one of the keys to tender muffins. Mixing flour and water creates gluten, a network of stretchy proteins that gives baked goods their structure and much of their texture. The more you mix, the more gluten that forms. And more gluten equals a tougher, chewier texture. For light, tender muffins, it’s important to mix gently, until all the ingredients are just combined and you can’t see any dry flour—this develops just a small amount of gluten in the batter.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil spray.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In medium bowl, whisk yogurt and eggs until smooth.

Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture and use rubber spatula to stir gently until just combined and no dry flour is visible. Gently stir in melted butter.

Gently stir chocolate chips into batter. Do not overmix.

Use ⅓-cup dry measuring cup to divide batter evenly among muffin cups (use rubber spatula to scrape batter from cup if needed).

Place muffin tin in oven and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Use oven mitts to remove muffin tin from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult to help). Let muffins cool in tin for 15 minutes.

Using your fingertips, gently wiggle muffins to loosen from muffin tin and transfer to cooling rack. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.