Thermomix Double Choc Chip Muffins

The best chocolate chip muffin recipe, now adapted for the Thermomix

I’ve been eating these muffins for a loooong time. The recipe is from a Nestlé promotion published in the Feb/Mar 1999 edition of Super Food Ideas Magazine. Mum used to make these for me in the mornings and I’d go to school with one still warm from the oven.

Although this recipe is for “double choc chip muffins,” it is actually a master muffin recipe – one that you can mix up with various flavours. I still call these double choc chip muffins though because:

1. that’s what the original recipe was called; and
2. I’ve never progressed past choc chip to try any of the other variations.

What is the cooking equivalent of a mic drop moment when you find the perfect recipe? A whisk drop?  Well, whatever it is, the choc chip variation deserves one anyway.

Do you really need a Thermomix to make muffins?

If you follow the right techniques, it’s pretty difficult to stuff up muffins. In fact, you could make these with a bowl and a wooden spoon. However, I don’t have a microwave, so it’s easier for me to melt the butter in the Thermomix. And once I’ve done that, I may as well do the whole recipe in the Thermomix.

How do I make sure my muffins are light and fluffy?

The main thing to remember – especially with a Thermomix – is to not overmix the batter! You can mix the dry ingredients as much as you like. You can mix the wet ingredients as much as you like. But once you bring them together – do not overmix the batter!!

When you make muffins with wheat flour, gluten will start forming as soon as you add liquid to the flour. That’s why this recipe mixes the dry and wet ingredients separately first. We need some gluten to give structure to the muffins, but not so much that they turn into bricks. Muffins should be denser than cake, but not tough. The more you mix your batter, the more you work the gluten in the flour. The more you work the gluten in the flour, the stronger the structure of the gluten becomes. And if the structure becomes too strong and rigid, the baking powder won’t be able to do its job and make the muffins rise as they bake.

So, what should the batter look like?

What you are aiming for is a lumpy, thick batter. You need to mix the ingredients just enough to moisten the flour. It doesn’t need to be smooth or fully incorporated – a few small streaks of flour through your batter is fine.

And how do I make sure my muffins are moist?

My other baking secret is to swap the milk for buttermilk. Now, the buttermilk I’m talking about is the leftover liquid from making homemade butter. It doesn’t have the same acidity as the stuff you buy in a carton at the supermarket, so the benefits are debatable, however, I still think it makes the muffins softer and moister than regular milk. If nothing else, it uses up some buttermilk and once you start making your own butter, I can guarantee you’ll always be looking for ways to do that!

Can I freeze these muffins?

Theoretically, these muffins should freeze well, but I’ve never actually had a batch last long enough to try it. 😉

In Mackay’s humidity, I store these muffins (and all my baked goods) in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. If you do need to freeze these muffins, I’d follow general freezer rules and make sure they’re frozen in an airtight container or resealable bag. If you wrap the muffins individually before freezing, they will make an easy lunch box snack that kids can pack themselves. The muffins will thaw out in the lunch box and be ready by lunch time. Yum!

Try some of these variations

Although these are my favourite chocolate chip muffins, the original recipe was a versatile one. Build on the base muffin mix by trying the following varieties and flavours:

• Sultana and date: Between step 1 and 2, add 80 g pitted dates and Turbo/1 sec two or three times to chop. Add 80 g sultanas, then proceed with step 2 and omit chocolate.
• Blueberry: Replace chocolate in step 2 with 160 g blueberries
• Apple: Between step 1 and 2, add 1 apple (approx 100 g), core removed and quartered and grate for 3 sec/speed 5. Add 1 tsp mixed spice in step 2 and omit chocolate.
• Wholemeal: Use wholemeal flour instead of white. Increase buttermilk to 240 g
• Poppy seed: Add the rind of one orange to the raw sugar in step 1 and mill. Replace chocolate in step 2 with 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• Banana: Between step 1 and 2, add 1 banana (approx 90 g), cut into pieces and mash 4 sec/speed 6. Proceed to step 2 and omit chocolate
• Carrot: Between step 1 and 2, add 120 g carrot, cut into pieces and grate 4 sec/speed 6. Add 1 tsp mixed spice in step 2 and omit chocolate.
• Cheese and bacon: Omit sugar in step 1. Add 6 sprigs fresh parsley and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Then add 90 g tasty cheese, cut into 2 cm pieces and grate 5 sec/speed 7. Proceed to step 2 and omit chocolate. Between step 2 and 3, clean and dry mixing bowl then add 100 g diced bacon and sauté 2 min 30 sec/120°C/speed soft (spoon). Set aside with dry ingredients. Proceed with recipe.
• Corn and cheese: Omit sugar in step 1. Add 5 spring onions/shallots (approx 50 g, cut into 3 cm pieces) and chop 3 sec/speed 6. Then add 90 g tasty cheese, cut into 2 cm pieces and grate 5 sec/speed 7. Between step 4 and 5, add 1 × 130 g can corn niblets, drained. Proceed with recipe