Dark Chocolate Muffins

I’ve just made a small batch of big, moist, super chocolatey muffins.  They are more akin to a cake than my usual muffins.

• 1/2 cup Hershey’s Dark Cocoa powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 really ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup plain organic yogurt

Sift the cocoa, flour and spices into a large mixing bowl with a whisk (or a sifter if you’ve got one, lucky you!).  Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix them all together, form a well in the middle.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, and yogurt first.  Add the bananas and blend with a hand mixer, this is to break down the bananas so they disappear into the batter, you’ll have a hint of banana after they are baked and the muffins will be moist.  The darker the bananas, the stronger the flavour.  Add the oil to the banana mixture, I usually use a light extra virgin olive oil or a light canola oil which will impart even less flavor than the olive variety.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry, gently mix until the flour is no longer visible.  If you over mix muffins, the tops will have more of a cone shape and not a Portobello mushroom shape that is desired.

Divide the batter between six large muffin cups (you can make them smaller if you like, this is just how this batch was made! The baking time will be less if you use a smaller size muffin cup)   Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, check them with a toothpick to see that the middle is no longer wet.  Do not over bake or they will dry out.  The muffins should be moist but have crumbs sticking to the toothpick when poked.

Cool the muffins on a rack for a few minutes before popping them out of the tin.  Hide these from everyone else you will be left with crumbs!  Over course if you were to take these to a friend’s house you’d be a great friend indeed 🙂

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