These muffins are the first variation on the muffin recipe that I posted earlier this week, the Pear & White Chocolate Chip Muffins.  The recipe once again uses oil instead of butter, comes together so quickly and gives you delicious muffins with generous muffintop (the best part!).

These muffins are Jaffa Muffins! If you don’t know what Jaffa cakes are, you’re missing out.  They’re a UK cookie/cake covered with a layer of orange jelly and topped off by a coating of chocolate.  Whether or not they’re a cake or a biscuit is a source of great debate, but these are without a doubt muffins. :)

To flavour the muffins I used a generous amount of orange zest and then crammed the muffins full of chocolate chips.  They had good orange flavour and were absolutely divine when reheated in the microwave for about 15 sec… just enough to have the chocolate chips begin to melt.  I found they were a bit drier than the Pear & White Chocolate muffins, but this could be for two reasons.  Firstly, there was no fresh fruit lending moisture to the muffins and secondly, I might have slightly over baked them. It’s hard to tell if a muffin is done when every tooth pick you insert comes out covered in gooey chocolate! But I’d still give them a stellar rating.

What was Krissy studying today?

Also, if you look at the photos, you’ll see that I’ve place the muffins atop my notes. Muffins are great revision stress busters as baking them is a quick, but welcome revision break and they’re tasting snacks to keep you going throughout the day.  Can anyone tell me what the notes that the muffins are sitting on are about? ;)

Any ideas?

So without further ado, Jaffa Muffins!

Jaffa Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups (325g) plain (all purpose)  flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup butter milk (180ml) –> (3/4 cup milk + 2 tsp lemon juice, let stand for a few minutes before using)
• 2/3 cup (160mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• zest from 2 oranges, grated
• 2 cups (500mL) chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Position rack in centre of the oven. Place 12 muffins cups in the tin and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, orange zest and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients inside.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined.  15-20 turns of the spatula should be enough and stop after that! Otherwise you will have tough dry nasty muffins instead of moist delicious ones.
5. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (I found mine were quite full. Just make sure you grease the top of the muffin pan as well so the muffin tops don’t stick). Place on middle rack in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool about 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.