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More Sweet Things
Super Easy Choc Chip Muffins
These tasty choc chip muffins are super easy to make and bake - no effort needed!
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 125ml vegetable oil
- 250ml semi-skimmed milk
- 400g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 150g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200C and line a muffin tray with muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the vegetable oil, and mix again until well combined, followed by the milk.
- Next, sift in the flour and salt and mix together until just combined. Do not over mix or the muffins will become doughy.
- Finally, gently fold through the chocolate chips by hand (do not use an electric beater for this step), again being careful not to over-mix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin liners, filling them about 2/3rds full.
- Bake in the hot oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the muffins to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 615mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 29gProtein: 6g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Chocolate Chip Muffins
A Day Out and a Muffin Tray
Over the weekend, we took a day trip down the River Clyde on the Waverley paddle steamer. It was one of those rare days where I willingly endured a full day with my husband’s family. Honestly, I can’t even stand my husband half the time, but I’ll put up with a lot if it means I get to see more of beautiful Scotland. And it was stunning – truly, Scotland has the most beautiful landscape. Plus, there was plenty of wine on board, so you know I managed just fine. When you’re out on the water all day, snacks are essential. And in our family, snacks are my domain. So of course I made a batch of my very easy, super tasty chocolate chip muffins.
These muffins are ridiculously easy to throw together and it’s virtually impossible to get them wrong. They’re quick, reliable, and loved by everyone – which makes them an absolute winner in my books. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like chocalate chip muffins. And when it comes to chocolate in baked goods, my Husband’s family are complete fiends. These muffins disappeared quickly as we cruised down the river, and not a single crumb made it back home – that’s always a good sign.
Unfortunately, my photography skills were not at their best when I tried to take photos of these. So I’ll have to make them again soon, just for the sake of new pictures – that’s my excuse, anyway! Truthfully, I just love having a warm muffin with a cup of tea on a rainy day. And if Scotland guarantees anything, it’s an abundance of rainy days. These muffins are my comfort on grey afternoons, when the wind lashes the windows and I want something sweet but not fussy.
Baking Tips to Keep Things Light
When it comes to muffins, it’s all too easy to end up with something heavy and stodgy, and trust me, you don’t want that. The biggest culprit? Overmixing. Muffin batter should be treated gently, like you would a sulky cat or your mother-in-law’s feelings. I mix the wet and dry ingredients just until they come together – as soon as the last bit of flour disappears, I stop. You want that batter light and airy, not beaten into submission.
After the batter comes together, the chocolate chips get gently folded in. Not stirred, not beaten. Folded. I know it sounds fussy, but it really makes a difference. Overworking the batter can turn a dreamy muffin into something that resembles a brick. And we’re not here for muffin bricks. We want tender, fluffy, just-sweet-enough muffins with little pockets of chocolate in every bite.
Also, let’s talk about how change-up-able (yes, new word) this batter is. If you’re not a fan of chocolate chips (who even are you?), you can swap in dried fruit. Or do a mix of both – I’ve done chopped dried apricots and dark choc before, and it was surprisingly delicious. Just avoid using fresh fruit, as it throws off the balance and makes the batter too wet. Trust me, soggy muffins are a tragedy we can all avoid.
The Kitchen as a Safe Haven
Cooking has always been my escape. My kitchen is the one place in the world that feels truly mine – a quiet, comforting little sanctuary where I can take a breath and stir something into being. When life gets overwhelming, the rituals of cooking help me hold onto myself. But when things get too heavy – when the anxiety spikes or the depression hits hard – I stop. I can’t bring that chaos into the one space that feels safe. And right now, I’m in one of those seasons, which you can probably tell from the lack of new recipes.
So if I was going to spend a whole day with my husband’s family – who, to be clear, have not always been kind or safe – I knew I needed something grounding. Not my sister-in-law, though. She’s lovely. She married his brother and, frankly, deserves a medal or a better man. But the rest of them? It’s a lot. So I made muffins. Because when I’m elbows-deep in batter, focused on not overmixing, I’m not spiralling, I’m not overthinking or flinching at the thought of past confrontations. I’m just here, in the moment, pouring something warm and sweet into tiny paper cases.
And yes, maybe making muffins before seeing people who have treated me badly isn’t a solution, but it’s a start. It’s a way to anchor myself. To choose a bit of softness in a world that often doesn’t feel soft at all. Some people meditate. I bake. And if it results in a tray of choc chip muffins to share on a Scottish boat ride, all the better.
Ingredients Breakdown
Two large eggs form the base of the batter, adding richness and holding everything together. I like to use golden caster sugar because it gives a softer sweetness, and paired with a splash of vanilla essence, it adds a bit of warmth and depth. Vegetable oil keeps the texture lovely and moist, and semi-skimmed milk helps everything blend into a smooth, pourable batter.
Self-raising flour makes life easier and ensures a good rise without needing to faff about with separate rising agents. I still add a touch of baking powder, just to give them an extra lift, and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. The result is a muffin that’s light, fluffy, and not too sweet.
And of course, the star of the show – chocolate chips. I use a generous handful to make sure every bite has a little hit of chocolate. You could go dark or milk, depending on your mood, and even mix in a few white chips for good measure. Just don’t skip them entirely – this is, after all, a choc chip muffin recipe.
