Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut Muffins

For my first post Christmas bake I decided upon something simple, but very tasty, Chocolate Chip and Hazelnut Muffins.

The idea of these was very appealing to me, as I love chocolate and enjoy a change of texture in muffins, so hazelnuts certainly were worthy of consideration.

Muffins are always simple to make and usually turn out very well, so I set too and made them.  They have turned out very well indeed, offering that wonderful moist muffin texture mixed with the flavour of chocolate and the crunch of the hazelnuts.

I am very pleased with the result and will surely be making these again very soon.

• 260g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 170g dark chocolate chips(I used 70% cocoa solids)
• 120g roughly chopped hazelnuts
• 30ml soured cream
• 160ml buttermilk
• 112g melted butter
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 70g dark brown sugar
• 70g granulated sugar.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F
2. Line a muffin tin with paper cases, or grease the tin.
3. In a bowl mix the eggs, vanilla extract buttermilk, soured cream, melted butter and both sugars until fully combined.
4. Take a couple of table spoons of the flour and mix with the hazelnuts and chocolate chips so they become coated.
5. Mix the remaining flour with the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
6. Pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
7. Add the chocolate chip and hazelnuts, coated with the flour, into the batter and stir until just combined.
8. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cases and bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes,  until they are firm on top and a skewer, poked into the muffins, comes out clean apart from any melted chocolate.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cook completely.
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