Chocolate Walnut Muffins

Who doesn’t like chocolate cupcakes or chocolate muffins? These are eggless, super soft and easy to make muffins with the healthy crunch of walnuts in every bite. I have always loved the texture of buttermilk cupcakes and cakes than the curd based ones. Though I am no expert in baking cakes and cupcakes or muffins, but this recipe has always yielded me an awesome textured one. I love the spongy and fluffy texture of these. If you want it more sweet you can increase the amount of sugar in it. Mine is very very mildly sweet. Doesn’t the cracks on these look pretty? Nevertheless, the taste is fantastic and I can assure you that you all will love it. One can add lot of white or dark chocochips in it to make it more richer and tastier.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 150 gm
• Cocoa powder 2 tbsp
• Baking soda 1/2 tsp
• Butter milk 1 cup
• Refined oil + Butter 1/4 cup
• Salt a pinch
• White sugar + brown sugar 80-90 gm
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Grape essence 1 tsp (optional)
• Chopped walnuts 1/4 cup

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 180 degree celsius for atleast 10-12 minutes.
• Sieve maida, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda atleast 3-4 times, so that everything gets combined well.
• Mix buttermilk, powdered sugar, oil-butter mixture and vanilla extract till the sugar gets completely dissolved in it. You can use a hand whisk to mix it well.
• Take a cupcake mould and line it with liners. Lightly smear the liner with oil or butter so that you can unmould the muffins easily.
• Dust the finely chopped walnut pieces with little dry flour.
• Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Use a wooden spoon or spatula and gently fold the mixture. Add the chopped walnuts and fold.
• Pour a spoonful of batter into these moulds till it is filled to 2/3 rd of its capacity.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 20-22 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. Insert a tooth pick in the centre of the muffins. If it comes out clean, your muffins are ready. Or else bake it for 2-3 minutes more.
• Take it out of the oven and cool it on a wire rack.
• Store it in containers after it is fully cooled.

Notes:

• You can add a teaspoon of coffee powder too to the flour before sieving.
• Grape essence adds a beautiful colour to the muffins.
• You can add chopped cashews too along with the walnuts.
• It stays fresh outside for 2-3 days.
• To make 1 cup buttermilk, add around 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a cup of volume 240 ml and fill it up with lukewarm milk. Stir it well and keep it aside for 5 minutes. Your buttermilk is ready to use.