Chocolate Cranberry Brownie Muffins ~ Muffin Monday

So it’s December and I’m so happy to be back to making muffins. After taking a month’s hiatus from Muffin Mondays I realized that I missed having moist, freshly baked muffins in my home every week. I also realized that while I decided to take a break for the month of November, that’s when An decided to assign the most deliciously decadent muffins after a few weeks of healthy choices. However, the decadence continues for the month of December.

For my first week back in action, we were assigned a chocolate brownie muffin. Just the name alone makes me want to dive right in. As I was baking these muffins I determined the name was perfect for them because my entire house smelled like I was baking brownies. These muffins are moist and delectable due to a triple hit of chocolate. Inside you’ll find cocoa, chocolate chips and one of my very favorite things in the world… Nutella! What’s not to like?

The original recipe called for pistachios but I didn’t have any on hand although I think the added crunchy texture and saltiness would have been a great compliment to the chocolate. Instead I decided to add some cranberries and a little orange zest. I actually wish the tart flavor of the cranberries had come through a bit more in these muffins but the chocolate won out. They were still incredibly good and I’m sure they won’t last long in our house.

Enjoy!

~K

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week

Chocolate Cranberry Brownie Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup caster sugar

4 Tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries, such as Craisins

Zest of 1 orange

– Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

– In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar.

– Add in the butter, egg, milk, sour cream and Nutella. Gently combine.

– Fold in the chocolate chips, cranberries and orange zest.

– Fill 12 muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes.

– Enjoy!

Tagged as: baking, breakfast, brunch, chocolate, cranberry, dessert, Muffin Monday, muffins, nutella, orange, recipe, snack, sweet