Fruit and Nut chocolate Muffins

The sweeter side-effect of Diwali is all the leftover mithai and chocolates. This time we had a box full of Dairy milk chocolates which we converted into these muffins. A Sunday baking with my son is the good way to relax, ableit you have to ignore all the mess those little hands make.

The Diary milk can easily be replaced with similar quantity chocolate chips or any other chopped chocolate . The texture of these muffins is slightly on the dry side which many people seem to prefer over the heavy moist cupcakes. I have dressed them up with plain chocolate melted over a double boiler, cooled and then spooned over the cupcakes.

Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut muffins.

Ingredients :

300 gm all purpose flour (maida)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
125 gram salted butter, softened, I use Amul
100 gm castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream (I use Tropolite)
125-150 gram Dairymilk fruit and nut, chopped into small pieces.
180 gm chocolate melted for frosting

What to do :

In a small bowl, mix all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix it and sift it together.
In another bowl, take the softened butter and castor sugar. Whisk it with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes, till it becomes ribbonlike soft and combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time while mixing together.
Then with a spatula fold in the dry ingredient mixture alongwith the heavy cream, alternately. Always start and end with the dry ingredients.
Fold in the chopped chocolate.
Pre-heat oven to 180C.
Line the cupcake pan with cupcakes liners. Spoon the mixture into the liner, about 2/3rd cup full.
Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 mins, till they are springy and soft to touch.
Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool down in the pan for 15-20 mins and then invert it on a wire rack to let it cool down further.
Melt the chocolate over double boiler for frosting the cupcakes, and frost it once the cupcakes completely cool down.

Notes :

I put the chopped chocolate in the fridge for 15 mins before putting them in the cupcake batter. This ensure that the chocolate doesn’t sink top the bottom while baking.
The batter is quite thick as the ratio of flour to wet ingredients is high. Spoon it into the cupcake liners for baking.