Ultimate Chocolate Chip Muffins

What better way to start off the week than with a fresh batch of chocolate chip muffins. Buttery, cakey, and sprinkled with dark chocolate chips. I absolutely adore these !

Not all muffins are created equal. Some are too dense, don't rise, filled with air pockets or as dry as dry can be. I can assure you these are none of those things. They are perfectly moist, rise high and are a thing of beauty.

I like to sprinkle muffins with coarse sanding sugar right before baking - makes for a lovely shine and delectable crunch. I also recommend topping the muffins with a scattering of chocolate chips too so they stand out really well when baked versus getting hidden in the batter.  A golden top, studded with chocolate chips and shimmering with sugar. You won't be able to resist these when they come out of the oven!

You can make these with any kind of chocolate chips you like but my personal fave are dark chocolate mini chips. If you like a bigger chocolate hit, go for chocolate chunks which are an amazing addition to any muffin or cookie.

These muffins rise up nice and high. Word of advice, spray the TOP of the muffin tin with baking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the surface.  Simple step that makes a load of difference when trying to flip these out of the pan.

So if you are ready, let's BAKE!

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe from Williams Sonoma

WHAT YOU NEED

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk (2% is fine)
1 cup mini dark chocolate chips plus 1/4 cup for topping
Coarse sugar

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350°F
LINE 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk stir together the flour, baking powder and salt
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on MED speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula
ADD 1egg and beat until blended
ADD remaining egg and vanilla extract
BEAT until well blended. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with the rubber spatula
ADD half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined
POUR in the milk and mix again just until blended
ADD rest of the flour and the chocolate chips and beat just until combined
FILL muffins liners to top of cases
SCATTER tops with reserved chocolate chips
SPRINKLE with coarse sugar.
BAKE 21-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
REMOVE from oven, set on wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes
REMOVE muffins from pan and enjoy !