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Chocolate two days in a row?!? Well, yes, it’s December. ‘Tis the season for sweets.
And these are muffins. So don’t count as dessert. ;)
Actually, I made these as an idea for “second breakfast” while we are celebrating Hobbit Week here at the Gimme Some blogs. Ok, well this recipe may be a bit of a literal take on the term. But for those of you who are familiar with Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, he and all of his other friends are arguably of the most beloved “foodies” in literature. Hobbits LOVED to eat good food, and they loved to eat lots of it, and eat often. :) Hence the name, “second breakfast”, because when is one breakfast really enough for a hobbit?
So if you are looking for a yummy recipe for your own first, or second, or even third breakfast (Bilbo would be proud), I highly recommend these Chocolate Almond Muffins! You can whip them up in a snap, and they are wonderfully sweet and moist. And when made with white whole wheat flour, they are even a little extra good for you.
Be sure to check out all of the other sites for more great posts on Hobbit Week! Gimme Some Reads is sharing about the book, Tolkien-ese, SUPER-COOL pictures from her travels to Hobbiton (where the film was produced) in New Zealand, Gimme Some Film is giving great tips about which version (2D, RealD, 3D, Imax3D, HFR3D, etc.) of the film to see and info about the actors and director, Gimme Some Style has some cute Hobbit style ideas for you, and all 5 sites have more great giveaways going this week.
So cheers to second breakfasts, and The Hobbit film that opens this weekend!
A quick and simple recipe for delicious Chocolate Almond Muffins.
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup sliced almonds, divided
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease 12 muffin tins, or line with baking cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/3 cup slice almonds.
In a (separate) large bowl, whisk together the milk, almond extract, oil, and the egg. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not overstir.
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of sliced almonds. Pat down lightly so that they stick to the batter.
Bake 18 – 22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Hahaha. I googled imaged “The Hobbit” yesterday in order to quickly make a present for my husband and your muffin recipe picture was the first result. I was just like, “Huh? Is this a mistake?” Uh-huh. Well I see now. :)
These pictures are amazing! Love love love them. And I’m sure the muffins are good too!
I tried the recipe twice and the batter was thick and the muffins came out very dry and hard, the flavor was good though.It needs some more moisture. Can you tell me why.
I measured all the ingredients exact and it seemed rather thick. Is it supposed to be like that? I did add a little extra milk and it seemed better. They smell delicious, but I won’t get to try them until a league function on Saturday.
You had me at “second breakfast” :) Just made these for Valentine’s Day. Made the double recipe. Half whole wheat. We have an almond dissenter in the house so we put one whole almond in the middle, a few slivers on top, and added a cup of dark chocolate chips. Halfed the sugar. Added another 1/4 tsp of almond extract. Love the instructions about not overbaking. That was super important. Did 18 vs. 24 muffins with the double recipe. 20 minutes total bake time was perfect. They were a hit even with the almond dissenter. Thanks!
You had me at “second breakfast” :) Just made these for Valentine’s Day. Made the double recipe. Half whole wheat. We have an almond dissenter in the house so we put one whole almond in the middle, a few slivers on top, and added a cup of dark chocolate chips. Halfed the sugar. Added another 1/4 tsp of almond extract. Love the instructions about not overbaking. That was super important. Did 18 vs. 24 muffins with the double recipe. 20 minutes total bake time was perfect. They were a hit even with the almond dissenter. Note to future bakers: the batter will be thick. I resisted the temptation to add more milk and I’m glad I did because they baked up perfect as is. Thanks!
Hi! I tried this recipe, because your carrot cake never fails me, I love it! I don’t often make muffins, and my oven is quite particular, mine came out quite tough. Anyways – if future bakers read this I would suggest really hold back on the almond essence (they can be quite strong), add the dry ingredients all at once and stir as little as you can, and strive for minimum bake time for this recipe. And yes the batter was quite thick.
Hey, I’m Ali!
My favorite thing in life is time spent around the table. And all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. more about me »
These look amazing! I always want to start my mornings off with something chocolate.
Gorgeous……and delicious! Enjoy your trip to Europe! Can’t wait to hear all about it and see pictures!
Love the Hobbit mention ;)
chocolate and almond are one of the all-time best flavor combos in my opinion! these look awesome!
hope you’re enjoying europe!!!
Hobbit all the way!!!
These look so tasty! Chocolate and almond is such a great combo. Beautiful photos!
These look amazing!!
Yummm, I love chocolate muffins, and the almond makes them extra special!
Ali these muffins look amazing! I love chocolate and almonds together! PS.. where did you get that gorgeous pan? I really love it #panenvy
Hahaha. I googled imaged “The Hobbit” yesterday in order to quickly make a present for my husband and your muffin recipe picture was the first result. I was just like, “Huh? Is this a mistake?” Uh-huh. Well I see now. :)
These pictures are amazing! Love love love them. And I’m sure the muffins are good too!
YUM!! these are great photos! x
I tried the recipe twice and the batter was thick and the muffins came out very dry and hard, the flavor was good though.It needs some more moisture. Can you tell me why.
My kids love chocolate muffiins! I think I will tell my wife to make this one tomorrow using this recipe.
Can i use coconut oil instead of canola oil
Sure thing!
I measured all the ingredients exact and it seemed rather thick. Is it supposed to be like that? I did add a little extra milk and it seemed better. They smell delicious, but I won’t get to try them until a league function on Saturday.
You had me at “second breakfast” :) Just made these for Valentine’s Day. Made the double recipe. Half whole wheat. We have an almond dissenter in the house so we put one whole almond in the middle, a few slivers on top, and added a cup of dark chocolate chips. Halfed the sugar. Added another 1/4 tsp of almond extract. Love the instructions about not overbaking. That was super important. Did 18 vs. 24 muffins with the double recipe. 20 minutes total bake time was perfect. They were a hit even with the almond dissenter. Thanks!
You had me at “second breakfast” :) Just made these for Valentine’s Day. Made the double recipe. Half whole wheat. We have an almond dissenter in the house so we put one whole almond in the middle, a few slivers on top, and added a cup of dark chocolate chips. Halfed the sugar. Added another 1/4 tsp of almond extract. Love the instructions about not overbaking. That was super important. Did 18 vs. 24 muffins with the double recipe. 20 minutes total bake time was perfect. They were a hit even with the almond dissenter. Note to future bakers: the batter will be thick. I resisted the temptation to add more milk and I’m glad I did because they baked up perfect as is. Thanks!
Hi! I tried this recipe, because your carrot cake never fails me, I love it! I don’t often make muffins, and my oven is quite particular, mine came out quite tough. Anyways – if future bakers read this I would suggest really hold back on the almond essence (they can be quite strong), add the dry ingredients all at once and stir as little as you can, and strive for minimum bake time for this recipe. And yes the batter was quite thick.