I’ve been watching Masterchef, reading cookbooks, and falling into a comparison trap. Admiring beautiful Michelin star dishes on social media. These chocolate chip muffin tops are as simple as it gets. You don’t even need a muffin pan. But even without the bells and whistles I’m proud to show you this recipe because even simple, easy, one-bowl cake recipes deserve to be shared and celebrated. Not everything needs to be fancy. 

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

I’m coming out of a rough mental health slump and I’m happy to report that my mind has been polished and sharpened by good weather and calm days. Growing confidence in myself and my new job, along with confidence in my growth and talents. I started the week with a killer painting of my breakfast flatbread. I stayed up until past midnight to get it done and fell into a hypnotic flow state of listening to audiobooks while color mixing. Dinging my watercolor brushes on my glass water cup and delicately pushing and pulling colors on paper. 

I slept like a log. Art is a great sleeping pill. So Tuesday was refreshing, and I decided to take it as easy as possible to prepare for work Wednesday. I watered my garden and made some nutritious food with leftover scallions, ginger, eggs, garlic, and rice. There was a quick nap and more audiobook listening, which has filled me with creative inspiration. I went to bed early on Tuesday and worried that somehow I would forget everything I learned by the time I clocked in on Wednesday morning. But I settled into my role of greeting customers. The flow of ringing up cookbooks and baking pans and cutting boards. I had a great day and drove home proud. Windows down. New music. 

Recipe Ideas + Farm Berries

Thursday, farmers market day, was again filled with oblivious tourists and difficult people visiting our small coastal town. The field of farm stands and food vendors was packed with humans and dogs but it was pleasant this week. Easier. My mood was better and the sun beat down on me gently as I waited in line for my goods. I didn’t buy much. Still working through some vegetables from the farm stand and polishing off some leftovers. But I enjoyed visiting the bright, beautiful tomatoes and leafy greens anyway. The woman with the golden retrievers was selling zucchini flowers, which reminded me of Italy. My zucchini fritti recipe from last year with a sparkling water batter. 

At first I decided to make something with a pint of farm strawberries and a bag of chocolate chips I bought at the store. They ended up being free because I went grocery shopping for my grandmother, who isn’t feeling well after a fall. She gave me a small tip to cover my gas, which paid for the chocolate chips and a can of beans I’d been meaning to add to my pantry. I reminisced on my days in the cafe early this year – melting down chips and chocolate bars to make homemade chocolate chunks for cookie dough. I thought of my chocolate torte, too, which became a signature recipe. Brown butter, dark chocolate. Who wouldn’t love it?

Chocolate Bundt Cake Memories

I contemplated making chocolate bundt cake. One of my favorite food memories from childhood was our family trips to KFC. It was a KFC Taco Bell combo next to the movie theater, about a 35 minute drive from home. We would go on Saturdays occasionally when a new Harry Potter movie or early 2000’s rom com would come out. After, we’d stop at KFC for potato wedges, cole slaw, and the chocolate chip bundt cake of my dreams. It was a dense, dark chocolate cake with white frosting and crunchy miniature chocolate chips inside. For some reason the texture and flavor captivated me.

So I thought of recreating it. But I wanted something less labor intensive. My brain wanted something complex and challenging after nailing my last painting. But my body, tired and relaxed, wanted to curl up with a simple cake or cookie batter and take a nap after. Since starting my new job, I’ve had limited time for baking projects. So I decided to make chocolate chip muffins tops. Which I had been craving. I stopped at a local grocery store on Wednesday morning before work to avoid my usual $10 croissant at the fancy bakery. And I got a double chocolate muffin for $2. It reminded me of the ones we used to get in the school cafeteria. 

Grocery Store Muffins

So I knew I could do better. And weirdly, I was craving another one. The best part was the muffin top, which was slightly chewy and dense with a slight crunch from the sugar. I dreamed of a whoopie pie-like batter, filled with dark chocolate chips. Puffed humps of chocolate cake that I could indulge in for a quick breakfast. Not good for my body, but great for my soul. It would be the perfect amount of work too. So I studied my other muffin recipes and started melting brown butter in a sauté pan. It spat and bubbled until it became a dark amber potion. 

I added a splash of vanilla and coffee extract along with a dash of cinnamon. I like to infuse flavor wherever I can. The black cocoa powder went into the dry ingredients, which I meant to bloom in the hot butter. To the butter I added homemade brown sugar (just molasses and sugar rubbed together until even in color) and eggs, one at a time. Then I worked in the dry ingredients, including the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt, and mixed it all together. I started to measure out chocolate chips, too, to give an exact and restrained measurement. But like all good recipes, I decided to just dump the whole bag in. 

Troubleshooting My Muffin Top Recipe

What I ended up with was a thick, scoopable cake batter. Not quite as thick and dense as a cookie dough, but stiffer than most cake batters. I’ve found that this texture works well for whoopie pies and chocolate cakes. If you want them a little fluffier, you can add a touch of sour cream and vegetable oil, too. But to get that good rise and hump I kept the batter thick and added some extra baking powder. I also preheated my oven and scooped them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. The oven was set to 375. I hoped they would grow and rise right away, but I misjudged the effects of the heat. 

The first batch came out slightly hard and overcooked. So I was disappointed. I panicked and ran through the rolodex of recipe ideas in my head that would be good replacements. Should I have made the bundt cake? Would these even look good if I baked them correctly? Imposter syndrome started to kick in. I didn’t do enough. It wasn’t artsy enough or unique. Just simple double chocolate chip muffin tops. I decided to at least bake the rest of the batter on a lower temperature, 350, for a few less minutes. Thankfully they domed well and had a much lighter, fluffier texture. A perfect chocolate chip muffin top. 

Strawberries and Chocolate

They smelled beautiful and had a faint trace of cinnamon and earthy black cocoa powder. The chocolate chips were delightfully molten. I remembered the strawberries in the fridge and knew I could use a pop of color. When I tasted my perfect batch, I was delighted by the texture. Fluffy and muffin-like. Slightly sugary and rippled with cracks on top. Pops of dark chocolate chips and coarse sugar. They held an earthy, deep cocoa and coffee flavor but they weren’t too sweet. It was much better than the one I had from the grocery store. But I still doubted myself. I reluctantly photographed my dark brown blobs and sighed with discontent. 

I added a pop of color with a halved farm strawberry. Something about the simplicity impressed me. Confident in its sheer simplicity. Just a perfect, fluffy, delicious muffin top. The actual flavor of the strawberries added a lot too. Some acid and sweetness to complement the rich earthy flavor of the chocolate chip muffin tops. I allowed myself to stop there. And I challenged myself to say “good enough.” A delicious recipe, but not a complicated one. I’m saving my creative energy for next time. I’m happy that I gave myself time to rest. 

Busy Work Days + An Ice Cream Reward

Friday and Saturday were very busy at work. The cooking store was filled with interesting people. Tourists and regulars picking up wine and beer. Home cooks refilling their olive oil bottles while sporting tote bags of baguettes with bites taken out. I met some kind, creative people. And I shared my love of cooking with them. I also fell into a good groove, ringing up customers, checking the floor, helping with cooking questions. My lunch was delicious and gave me a pep in my step.

The weather was grey Saturday, so we had what felt like a million people shopping and too many projects to juggle. It was fun, in a weird, challenging way. When I went home I was sore, exhausted, and fulfilled. Proud of myself. I got coffee ice cream on the way home and watched Obsession before bed, which probably wasn’t the best idea. I nearly changed my recipe again Sunday after thinking too much about if my photos were good enough.

Embracing Simplicity

But my mom enjoyed my chocolate chip muffin tops and encouraged me to be happy with what I made. The strawberries made all the difference. So my recipe this week was simple, delicious, and unfussy. So was my week. You can’t give it 100% creativity all the time or you’ll burn out. Next week I’ll have even more energy to throw into whatever I make. I can’t wait to see what it is! I’m thinking corn, tomatoes, zucchini, or something with blueberries. Homemade pasta?

Thank you for reading. Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. See you next time!

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Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

A simple chocolate cake recipe perfect for muffin top lovers

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, muffins

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp coffee extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup black cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat until golden brown.
• Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, coffee extract, and cinnamon.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
• Add brown sugar and white sugar to the brown butter mixture and stir to combine. Then add both eggs, one at a time.
• Add chocolate chips to your bowl of dry ingredients, saving a handful for topping. Mix the chips into the flour mixture with a spatula to coat.
• Fold your dry ingredients and chips into the egg and brown butter batter until no streaks remain.
• Scoop 8 portions of batter onto two parchment-lined baking sheets, spreading 2-3” apart. Top each with a few chocolate chips and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar.
• Bake for 15 – 18 minutes until light and fluffy. Cakes will spring back when pressed.

Notes

• Feel free to use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips instead of dark if you prefer. 
• I serve these with strawberries or raspberries to cut down on the richness. But you do you!