Olympic Chocolate Muffins with Fudge Center

Ingredients

• 200 g All-purpose flour
• 70 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 0.25 tsp Baking powder
• 0.75 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Instant espresso or coffee powder (Cold coffee may be substituted for the whole milk if skipping the instant coffee.)
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (Use 1 tsp if using Morton's kosher salt.)
• 275 g Light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Milk powder
• 100 g Whole milk
• 150 g Vegetable oil or neutral oil (Use a neutral oil of your choice.)
• 2 Large eggs (100 g total)
• 225 g Sour cream
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 115 g Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks (Plus extra for the tops; the extra amount is not specified.)
• 115 g Milk chocolate chips or chunks (Plus extra for the tops; the extra amount is not specified.)
• 130 g Water
• 95 g Granulated sugar
• 35 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 20 g Corn syrup (Optional; author says it can be left out.)
• 0.5 tsp Kosher salt
• 80 g Heavy cream
• 140 g Dark chocolate chips (Preferably 70% cocoa or higher for a rich filling; use semi-sweet if you prefer it less rich.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 420°F (215°C). Line every other cavity of a muffin pan with jumbo muffin liners, leaving an empty cavity between each liner for even baking.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, Dutch-process cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, instant espresso powder, kosher salt, light brown sugar, and milk powder until evenly combined. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until combined.

4. 4

   Pour the wet mixture into the center of the dry ingredients. Whisk gently and slowly, just until no dry pockets remain; avoid overmixing.

5. 5

   Gently fold in the dark chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

6. 6

   Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The author notes that the oven may be preheated during this rest instead.

7. 7

   Scoop the rested batter into the lined cups. For jumbo muffins, fill each cup a little over three-quarters full, using about 150–160 g batter per muffin.

8. 8

   Sprinkle reserved chocolate chunks over the tops of the muffins.

9. 9

   Bake at 420°F (215°C) for 6 minutes. When the timer beeps, do not open the oven; reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15–18 minutes.

10. 10

    Check for doneness: the center should be set, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few crumbs. Alternatively, check that the internal temperature is 200–205°F (93–96°C).

11. 11

    Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool completely before filling.

12. 12

    While the muffins cool, combine the water, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, kosher salt, and corn syrup in a saucepan.

13. 13

    Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to prevent the cocoa from burning.

14. 14

    Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5–8 minutes, until thickened and reduced by approximately one-third of its original volume.

15. 15

    Add the heavy cream and let the mixture boil for 2 minutes.

16. 16

    Pour the hot mixture over the dark chocolate chips. Let it sit briefly to warm the chips before whisking until smooth.

17. 17

    Fill the completely cooled muffins with the fudge filling. The source states that the filling is injected after baking but the remaining directions for finishing the filling are cut off in the supplied excerpt.

Notes

The supplied page excerpt cuts off during the fudge-filling directions after instructing the cook to let the hot mixture warm the chocolate chips. The source says the filling is injected into the muffins after baking, but the complete method for finishing the filling and injecting it is not visible. The author recommends freezing wrapped extra muffins for up to 3 months and thawing for 1½ hours before serving; thawed muffins become fudgier. Extra fudge keeps refrigerated for up to a week. The listed yield is 9 jumbo muffins (about 160 g each) or 12 regular muffins (about 120 g each). The excerpt also gives regular muffin baking guidance: 420°F for 6 minutes, then 355°F for 13–15 minutes; the baking time in the steps is for jumbo muffins.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• baked
• chocolate
• muffins
• vegetarian
• make-ahead
• freezer-friendly