Mini Chocolate Chip-Almond Muffins : Cookbook Countdown #6

Cookbook Countdown is a monthly cooking/baking event, which I'm co-hosting with Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray.  Everyone is welcome to join us. How does it work? To summarize, you may select a cookbook from your own cookbook collection, to cook or bake from each month. That selected book shall be your cookbook of the month. You may cook any recipes and as many recipes as you want from your selected book of the month. This is a fabulous way of using your cookbooks at least once! For more information on how to join Cookbook Countdown, please click here. 

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The next bake that I've tried from my selected cookbook for this month for Cookbook Countdown #6, Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw, is Mini Chocolate Chip-Almond Muffins, and they are addictive!

These little muffins are so easy peasy to make. I made them on the spur of the moment when I felt like baking something. Recipe uses cold butter straight from the refrigerator, cut into chunks and beat with almond meal and sugar till creamy and the rest of the ingredients are added in accordingly. I have used ready bought almond meal for the batter instead of using sliced almonds which is to be processed in the food processor with the sugar until finely ground. If you can get hold of almond meal, makes it much easier. I've added the zest from one orange as per suggested in the recipe for variation, but did not sprinkle on the flaked almonds.

Recipes says that it will yield about 3 dozen, but I got about 84 mini muffins! It was a good thing I had 4 sets of 24-hole mini muffin pans!

These were baked for 11 minutes and they rise with little humps on top and looks very cute in little red cups.

It was suggested in the recipe to serve these muffins warm. While they were very good when freshly baked and warm, we find that they tasted even better the next day. Very addictive, we find it is hard to stop at just 2 or 3. These were moist, soft and so yummy! Perfect with a glass of cold milk, hot coffee, cocoa or tea, take your pick! This is a keeper!

Mini Chocolate Chip-Almond Muffins
(adapted from "Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort", by Kim Laidlaw)
makes about 3 dozen mini muffins
1-1/2 cups (7-1/2oz/235gm) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup (3oz/90gm) sliced almonds
1/2 cup (4oz/125gm) sugar (I use 100gm)
1/2 cup (4oz/125gm) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (8fl oz/250ml) buttermilk
1 cup (5oz/150gm) mini chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C). Line two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with paper liners, or grease with butter.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a food processor, grind 1/2 cup (2oz/60gm) of the almonds and the sugar to make a fine meal. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and scatter the butter over the top. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the buttermilk and beat on low speed. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, and, using the rubber spatula, stir just until evenly moistened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Roughly chop the remaining almonds and sprinkle over the top. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 11 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Let the muffins cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then unmold onto the rack. Serve warm.

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Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray