This weekend, I finally took the time to try out one of my Christmas gifts by testing Bernard’s famous recipe for atomic chocolate muffins. Yes, I know I’m not very early, but um… my colleagues can testify to the fact that I’m mad about the calendar this year… So I took advantage of a somewhat quiet weekend to test out my super new Wilton muffin tray, spotted at Bernard’s. I usually find that the baked goods we buy aren’t as good as the homemade ones. For chocolate muffins, on the other hand, I’d never managed to find a recipe with the airy, fluffy texture you’d find in the shops (so far, my favorite top recipe is Quick’s, although I must admit that Starbucks puts up a pretty good fight).
Table des matières
The chicago metallic tip for Starbucks-style chocolate muffins
So for Christmas I ordered THE secret weapon for making atomic muffins: Wilton’s “chicago metallic” large crown muffin pan molds. Unfortunately, these molds are impossible to find in France and can only be delivered to the UK. So I took advantage of a friend’s trip to England to have these little marvels delivered to me. The trouble is that the rarity of these molds makes them a rather overpriced item for a kitchen accessory… So I’m going to owe my friend a few more (hundred) batches before I pay my debt (that’ll teach me to order gifts without asking!).
Chocolate muffins
On paper, the molds don’t look revolutionary: simply a plate with twelve deep indentations. But what you can’t see in the photo is that it’s huge (and therefore extremely heavy)! There’s no need to place it on a rack: the plate is cut to the size of the oven and slides directly into the rails. So it’s super convenient for loading/unloading, it doesn’t slip and there’s no risk of knocking over one or two molds, as is the case with the individual ones.
The only point to correct: a taste of too little!
Secondly, the size is perfect for making big, fluffy muffins! I tested Bernard’s recipe as is, and I think the result speaks for itself (although I’ll make one and a half times the recipe next time, having run out of dough on the last few impressions). You have to fill the moulds to the brim to get that mushroom-like effect:
The shape, the puffiness and the airiness of industrial chocolate muffins (but natural and much better!). The texture is brilliant, light thanks to the use of cocoa (instead of dark chocolate, which gives much denser textures, as on my chocolate moelleux). This is clearly the best chocolate muffin recipe I’ve ever tried (with the exception of the white chocolate muffin recipe, which is one of my classics but which I’ve never taken the time to share with you).
As I didn’t have any milk chocolate on hand, I replaced the chips with white chocolate. The bitter cocoa/white chocolate mix is a real success, but I found that the whole thing lacked a little sugar, so I’ll increase the proportion of chocolate next time to bring in a little more sugar without upsetting the bitter/sweet balance.
For the rest, these chocolate muffins are perfect, don’t change a thing!
Muffins chocolat aux pépites de chocolat blanc
Ingredients
- 75 g de cacao non sucré (type Van Houten)
- 190 g de sucre
- 170 g de farine
- 150 g de lait
- 150 g de beurre fondu
- 190 g d'œuf (environ 4 oeufs moyens)
- 1,5 cuillère à café de levure chimique
- 0,5 cuillère à café de bicarbonate de soude
- 150 g de chocolat blanc en morceau (je mettrai 200 g la prochaine fois)
Instructions
- Préchauffer le four à 190°C et peser tous les ingrédients.
- Mélanger le cacao, les œufs, le sucre, le lait et le beurre fondu jusqu'à obtenir un mélange homogène.
- Dans un autre récipient mélanger la farine, la levure et le bicarbonate (c'est nécessaire pour bien répartir les agents levants dans la pâte).
- Ajouter la farine au mélange chocolaté et bien mélanger. Puis ajouter le chocolat blanc coupé en gros carrés.
- Graisser légèrement les moules et les garnir de caissettes pour faciliter le démoulage.
- Remplir chaque empreinte jusqu'au ras-bord et enfourner entre 25 et 30 minutes (25 minutes pour moi à 165°C en chaleur tournante).
- Attendre 5 minutes et démouler !
