Hey friends! Muffins are pretty much always crossing the line between cake and breakfast, but these Chocolate Tahini Muffins are a sweet spot that I think sits perfectly between the two. The tahini makes for a slightly savory addition to fluffy chocolate chunk muffins and I think it’s the perfect with-coffee morning treat!
These muffins are definitely tahini-forward, but I’ve got some options to help you adjust to your preference here. You can mix the batter entirely by hand, and the results are also beautiful so why not really? Let’s get to it!
How to Make Chocolate Tahini Muffins
We’re starting out with a simple chocolate chunk muffin recipe here. You can (and should) mix the batter by hand- starting with mixing your dry ingredients in a large bowl. The dry ingredients for this recipe include flour, dark brown sugar, dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then, whisk the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. That’s buttermilk, oil, eggs, sour cream, and some vanilla extract. When you add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, fold together until there are still some remaining pockets of flour, and then add in your chopped milk chocolate and finish folding the batter together.
After a quick rest while your oven preheats, it’s time to scoop the batter into your muffin tin and swirl some tahini on the tops of each muffin. I’m using about 2 tsp. of tahini per muffin here, but you can adjust based on your preference. My version is pretty tahini forward, so if you don’t like that, go for about half the amount of tahini on each muffin.
Then it’s off to the oven until everything is puffed up and a cake tester comes out mostly clean. The extra rest time for the muffin batter helps ensure that you get super tall, fluffy muffins!
Ingredients for Chocolate Tahini Muffins
Here is a breakdown of everything you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Flour: I use all purpose flour for this recipe, and I measure my flour by simply scooping my measuring cup directly into the flour. One cup of flour by this measuring method weighs about 155g.
- Dark brown sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar for it’s stronger flavor here. You can substitute light brown sugar, but I have found that I prefer dark brown sugar in pretty much any recipe, and it’s all I keep on hand now.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: Similar to dark brown sugar, I prefer using dutch-processed cocoa powder in all my recipes. It brings a stronger chocolate flavor, and it’s particularly helpful at high-altitude to use strongly flavored ingredients in your baking.
- Baking powder: This will help your muffins rise, and it starts to activate during the resting period which helps create tall, fluffy muffins.
- Baking soda: Baking soda reacts with the acid in the buttermilk and sour cream in this recipe to create a fluffy, soft muffin texture.
- Salt: I use salt in all baked goods, and it simply helps bring out the flavor, even in sweet items.
- Oil: I’m using oil instead of butter here because it’s easier to work with, and because in a chocolate recipe, you won’t notice the flavor of butter as much as the fat in a recipe. Oil also helps keep the muffins moist.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk really contributes to a soft, fluffy texture in muffins and cake, and it works particularly well with chocolate recipes.
- Eggs: I’m using large eggs in this recipe and all my recipes, which are the easiest to find at grocery stores in my area.
- Sour cream: Sour cream also contributes to a light, fluffy muffin that stays moist after baking.
- Vanilla extract: I add vanilla to most recipes, and it particularly helps enhance the flavor of chocolate baked goods. You can use vanilla extract or vanilla paste here.
- Milk chocolate: I like using a chopped up chocolate bar for this recipe so you have really melty chunks running throughout. Milk chocolate offers a good balance in a recipe that is not very sweet on it’s own.
- Tahini: Tahini is a sesame paste that is swirled into the top of these muffins before baking. It’s a bit savory, and has a texture similar to natural peanut butter.
Tips & Tricks for Chocolate Tahini Muffins
Here are all my best tips and tricks for the perfect high-altitude muffin every time!
- Mix the batter by hand: This will help you avoid over mixing this batter. You want the batter to just come together with no dry pockets of flour, but it’s ok if it looks a little lumpy.
- Why do I use dark brown sugar here? I actually always use dark brown sugar because it offers a bit of a stronger molasses flavor. I’ve found that using strongly flavored ingredients at high-altitude can be really helpful since liquid evaporates faster, which often leaves baked goods with a dry texture and bland flavor. You can easily use light brown sugar, but I think dark brown sugar makes for a better end result.
- Why do I have to use dutch-processed cocoa powder? I’m really looking for a deep, chocolatey muffin here, and dutch-processed cocoa powder brings that out better. I find that it’s easy to find in most grocery stores today, and I much prefer it to natural cocoa powder in baking.
- Do I have to use milk chocolate chunks? I like milk chocolate here because the muffins themselves are not very sweet, and I think it adds the right balance. If you prefer dark chocolate, I’d suggest going with something in the 70% range here.
- Can I swap in chocolate chips instead of cutting up a bar of chocolate? Yes, you can substitute chocolate chips, but you may find that they get less melty and yummy than a chopped up bar of chocolate because most chips are coated lightly on the outside.
- What if I don’t like much tahini? You can use less tahini swirled into the tops of the muffins for a lighter flavor here and they will still work beautifully!
- Can I make these muffins without the tahini entirely? Yes, feel free to omit the tahini entirely if you’re not a fan, but I think it’s pretty delightful here.
- I’m at about 5,000 ft. above seal level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Tahini Muffin Recipe
Chocolate Tahini Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 6 tbs. vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 oz chopped milk chocolate
- 1/3 cup tahini
Instructions
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In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
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Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Once the mixture is nearly mixed but a few pockets of flour remain, add in the chopped chocolate and stir until everything is just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Once the batter has rested, scoop it evenly into each muffin tin. They should be fairly full.
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Take about 1-2 tsp. of tahini and spoon it into each muffin cup on top of the batter. Use a toothpick to gently swirl it into the batter. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (aside from any melted chocolate chunks). Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Cool the muffins and enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
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