We’ve been watching a lot of movies of varying genres lately. I finally caved and sat through Disney’s Frozen (2013) for the first time and I must say: how in the world did I ever go so long without watching such an adorable movie?! Sven, that ridiculous reindeer, was my number one favourite. Ender’s Game (2013), a sci-fi film based on a novel by Orson Scott Card, struck me as somewhat slow-moving, but the story remained fascinating enough for me to watch the entire thing. Asa Butterfield is quite an impressive actor, and you can’t really fault Harrison Ford. We also watched Odd Thomas (2013), a mystery thriller based on a Dean Koontz novel about a dude who can see dead people, though it is nothing like that creepy movie with Bruce Willis. The plot is intriguing, oftentimes incredibly amusing and actually altogether quite brilliant. Finally and most recently, we watched Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006). Probably one of the most bizarre films I’ve ever seen. At least that was the conclusion I came to after watching the final few scenes. Those of you who’ve seen it will know exactly what I mean. Nonetheless, the cinematography was superb and who doesn’t love Ben Whishaw and Alan Rickman?

Okay, so these muffins. I would like to stress the importance of the lack of butter and full cream milk in this recipe. Use coconut oil and soy milk (any non-dairy milk, really) and you will be rewarded with muffins that are healthier and not overly heavy. These muffins will sit much more comfortably in your stomach than any regular dairy-laden muffin would. Also, use dark chocolate chips with a high percentage of cocoa. If you don’t already know, the plant chemicals in dark chocolate have been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation, among many other things. Read more about the health benefits of dark chocolate consumption here. As for coconut oil, you can find some evidence-based health benefits of the superfood ingredient here, if you are interested.

The muffin batter is easy enough to whip together — you’ll end up with a pale and pretty mixture reminiscent of cookie dough. The muffins themselves rise beautifully in the oven and bake to a lovely crisp-on-the-outside, moist-on-the-inside sort of perfection. I think it’s safe to say these were a huge hit with everyone who tried them. Well, you’d be a lunatic to turn down something so thoroughly studded with warm, ooey-gooey, melty chocolate chips. Granted, these little baked goodies seemed to be more chocolate than muffin, really. What’s not to like?

Interested in other types of muffins? We can offer recipes for a good batch of Sugar-Dusted Green Tea Chocolate Chip Muffins {eggless & butterless}, Chocolate Honey Buckwheat Muffins {gluten, grain & dairy free}, Savoury Polenta & Semi-Dried Tomato Chilli-Cheese Muffins {butterless}, and Chocolate Cream Cheese Walnut Muffins {eggless}.

Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins {with coconut oil & soy milk}
a simple butterless recipe for chocolate chip muffins; yield: ~12 regular muffins.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup organic soy milk*
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups dark chocolate chips

* I used Pureharvest’s Organic Unsweetened & Malt-Free Soy Milk in this recipe.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 210°C and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sugar. Mix well, set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly stir together the coconut oil, soy milk and eggs.
4. Using a large wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined – don’t worry if the mixture remains a little lumpy.
5. Add the dark chocolate chips and gently fold them into the mixture. Do not overmix.
6. Carefully spoon equal amounts of the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them just over three-quarts full.
7. Bake in the oven for approximately 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown and have started to crack a little.
8. Remove tray from oven and transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Best eaten still slightly warm.

Storage tip: Let muffins cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Muffins will keep for about 4-5 days after baking. For a heavenly, gooey, melty chocolate treat, zap muffins in the microwave for a quick 20 seconds before eating — they’ll be hot and fluffy just like when they first came out of the oven!