The holidays were the perfect time to give new recipes a shot. I tried to make bread, and failed. I roasted a Turkey for Thanksgiving, and it came out flavorful and moist. I made a blue margarita for a baby shower, and it was delish. Amongst all the new recipes I tried I found a couple that time and time again turned out delicious and satisfied my cocoa addicted sweet tooth.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Muffin

(Yes, you read that right, that chocolate plus more chocolate!)

These muffins are moist and are perfect for a brunch or to pack for your loved ones if they have to leave in a hurry and don’t have time to eat some breakfast. The secret to these muffins is the addition of sour cream or yogurt. Since we love making yogurt at home I just added a bit of our own stuff and the muffins turned out amazing.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup yogurt

2 cups white whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 + 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by greasing it lightly or adding cupcake liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

3. Add cocoa powder, baking powder, and  salt.

3. Beat in eggs, one at at time. Stir in milk and yogurt.

4. Mix in flour, then chocolate chips.

5.  Divide batter equally between the muffin cups, they will be full. Sprinkle each muffin with a little coarse sugar if desired.

6. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out without crumbs on it. Remove from oven, cool on wire racks 10 minutes, remove from pan to wire racks and cool completely.

Fudge Brownies

I have tried many different brownie recipes. For some reason they are never as good as the boxed mix kind. They were always too greasy, too dry or simply not right. Maybe I didn’t temper the chocolate the right way, or I just didn’t have the gift of brownie making. Until now I’ve had to rely on buying boxes of brownie mix often spending up to 8 USD for a box in the Jakartan supermarkets! But then, I stumbled upon this amazing recipe that results in amazingly delicious brownies that taste as good or even better than the boxed kind. Try them and try not to eat every single one of them!

Fudge Brownies

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

10 tablespoons (142 grams) butter
1 1/4 cups  sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease and set aside.

3. Melt the butter on a saucepan at low heat. Add the sugar, cocoa and salt making sure it doesn’t burn. (Original recipe calls for combining them in a microwave-safe bowl but I don’t trust my microwave). Set the mixture aside until it cools slightly (is warm to the touch not hot).

4. Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter is well blended, add the flour and stir until it disappears. Beat vigorously for about 40 strokes. Spread on the lined pan.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly moist with batter.  Let them cool completely. Cut into squares and enjoy!