I apologize. I’m a liar.
Remember when I told you, you’ll never make another muffin again? Well, I lied. Big Time.
The truth is, I think I make a new muffin every other day. I love muffins. LOVE THEM. They are the perfect answer to the constant rumbling in my stomach.
Let’s face it, I haven’t met many muffins I didn’t like. I have no shame. I highly lack self-control when it comes to food so sometimes I try to trick myself into eating healthy.
Yes, that’s what I said, HEALTHY! That’s when I try to bake and eat whole grains. I even try to get the Wild Boar and the hooligans to eat more whole grains. But sometimes I meet so much resistance I resort to tricking them into eating healthy without them knowing. Deceptive I realize, but I never promised anyone a rose garden over here.
My daily begging to eat seven grain bread, rice cakes and oatmeal has become a futile effort. Frankly I’m bored with it.
So instead I make things like Chocolate Malted Muffins made with whole grains tricking the pants off my family.
Do not tell them, they will never trust me again.
So let’s go make this diet food. It really is diet food. Really it is.
Here are all the low-calorie ingredients for the muffin batter. Really, they are. Barley flour, white whole wheat flour, unbleached bread flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, malted milk powder, light or dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, buttermilk (which is scandalously missing from this photo), eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate chips.
Let’s mix up the dry ingredients first. Come on, get your grains out…let’s go!
First let’s take a look at the flours that went into making this recipe.
Aren’t you feeling healthy already? Barley flour….mmmmmmmmm.
White whole wheat is like a milder version of whole wheat flour. But you can use whole wheat flour as well. You could probably use white flour too but then that would defeat the whole purpose of this recipe!
Unbleached bread flour is next. Sounds good doesn’t it?
Into a bowl add 1 cup of whole barley flour, 1/2 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup unbleached bread flour. Simple right?
To the flour add 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.
1/4 cup malted milk powder also gets added to the flour.
1 cup of light or dark brown sugar (I used dark, I think it gives it more depth of flavor).
1 teaspoon of baking powder…
1/2 teaspoon baking powder…again satisfy your cleaning, baking and deodorizing needs with baking soda! Crazy.
And finally a 1/2 teaspoon of salt is all added to the flour mixture.
Whisk up all the dry ingredients, making sure to break up all the little rocks of sugar and cocoa, set aside.
On to the wet…
Now get another bowl to make a mess in and melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Sheesh, there’s not even a lot of butter in here. You’re saving calories left and right!
Here’s the buttermilk that was scandalously missing in action from the ingredient photo. No, I did not forget this at the store, I just forgot to take it out of the fridge. Cut me some slack here.
Add 1-1/4 cups of buttermilk to the melted butter. I would make sure your butter is not burning hot when you add the cold milk, you’ll see why if you try that.
Do you ever have the feeling someone is watching you? Stop looking at me or I’ll poke your eyes out. Add 2 eggs to the bowl.
And 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Whisk it all together. No mixer needed. Even better.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and like magic, the batter turns chocolaty. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
I sprayed my cupcake size muffin tin with nonstick spray and filled each well to the rim. I’ve said it before, I do not like whimpy muffins. This batter only gave me nine muffins because I filled up each well. I love to over-do things.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep checking, don’t over-bake them!
Here’s the muffins when they are done. Aren’t they amazing looking? And giant?
Leave the muffins to cool in the pan for a minute or two and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Now let’s make the glaze.
For the glaze you will need: brown sugar, malted milk powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, corn syrup, plain yogurt and vanilla extract.
To a saucepan add 6 Tablespoons of light or dark brown sugar (I used dark).
Then add 2 Tablespoons malted milk powder, 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 cup plain yogurt.
Bring these ingredients to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Here’s what it looks like as it comes together. Remove from heat and pour over the cooled muffins.
Oh sweet mother of Mary, look at this. Just keep drizzling until the muffin tops are completely covered with this sugary-chocolate-malted milk goodness.
See very diet-like don’t you think?
And then because I think they are healthy I eat four of them at a time, erasing any possibility of modeling self-control to my family.
And then I do something crazy like add whipped cream to these little gems. I’m hopeless. Don’t judge me.
Chocolate Malted Muffins
adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking
Muffin Batter
1 cup (4 ounces) barley flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat
1/2 cup (2-1/8 ounces) unbleached bread flour
3/4 cup (2-1/4 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup (1-1/4 ounces) malted milk powder
1 cup (7-1/2 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
Glaze
6 Tablespoons (2-3/4 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons (5/8 ounce) malted milk powder
2 Tablespoons (3/8 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 cup (2 ounces) plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or use cooking spray on a muffin tin or line with papers and coat the papers with nonstick spray.
To Make The Batter: Whisk together the flours, cocoa, malted milk powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing until the batter is evenly moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the muffins until you can smell the chocolate and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 23-25 minutes. Don’t over-bake! Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn them onto a rack to finish cooling.
To Make The Glaze: Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and drizzle over the tops of the cooled muffins.
Enjoy these and try not to eat four of them in one sitting as I do!