Description
A festive and indulgent recipe for Double Chocolate Chip Reindeer Muffins, perfect for the holiday season, featuring a rich chocolate base decorated to look like cute reindeer faces.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice/vinegar, let sit 5 mins)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for decorating)
- For decoration: Mini pretzels (for antlers)
- For decoration: red M&Ms or candies (for noses)
- For decoration: candy eyes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, decorate the muffins to look like reindeer: Place two mini pretzels at the top for antlers, use a red M&M or candy for the nose, and attach candy eyes using a dab of melted chocolate or frosting.
Notes
- If using milk instead of buttermilk, allow it to curdle for 5 minutes after adding the lemon juice or vinegar before proceeding.
- Do not overmix the batter to ensure a tender muffin texture.
- Melted chocolate or frosting is needed for securing the candy eyes during decoration.