Classic Chocolate Chip Muffins

 If there is one thing that brought me running down the stairs growing up, it was the smell of these chocolate chip muffins. I used to devour these and absolutely loved the fact my mom made them all the time. I definitely grew-up in a baker household which certainly was a huge benefit and probably where I discovered my own love for cooking/baking. My friends also used to love coming over for the good eats or I used to bring the food to them at school/dance class. 

  As I began to build my bakeware repertoire over the course of my graduate school experiences, I decided to bake these classic muffins for the RA staff in my hall. I think these just might be the overall winner for the favorite recipe of the semester. It’s a tie-up between these and my cinnamon roll protein banana bread muffin recipe. 

  The best part of this recipe is that it is SUPER easy and requires minimal ingredients compared to other recipes of mine. Basically, anyone can make these and enjoy them on a daily basis. Oh, and did I mention you only need one bowl to mix them in. We love that because the less dishes the better and I don't think anyone can argue with that point.

Yes, this recipe uses regular flour and regular sugar because life is ALL about balance. And honestly, I am shocked at how low sugar these are for how GOOD they are.

If you feel compelled to lower the sugar or have someone in the household that has diabetes/other medical conditions, you can substitute the chocolate chips for a sugar free chocolate chip. I love the Lily's Sweets brand or Hu brand which has no added sugars. 

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 cup milk

• 1 egg or egg substitute (1.5 tbsp oil, 1.5 tbsp water, 1 tsp baking powder. 

• 1/3 cup butter, melted.

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

Directions:

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tray for 12.

Pour the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl and mix them all together. 

Next, you’ll want to make sure you have your wet ingredients ready to go.

 For the butter, you can melt on the stovetop or in the microwave. My graduate school apartment fire alarm is very sensitive, so I avoid the stovetop whenever possible. But we are DEFINITELY getting it looked at next semester because I should be able to use my stovetop to make nourishing meals. My mom has definitely done both before. 

For the egg, you can use one whole egg or use an egg substitute. We used to always use the egg substitute of 1.5 tbsp of oil, 1.5 tbsp of water, and 1 tsp of baking powder because of my brother's allergy. You mix these together in a separate bowl before adding into the larger bowl. This is because you need the chemical reaction to occur that allows the ingredients to mimic the qualities of an egg.

Now, we use both an egg or the egg substitute as he is now allowed to have eggs cooked in things. 

For the milk, I most commonly have used either Lactaid 2%, Fairlife 2% or Fairlife Fat Free milk. All of these milks are lactose free. I have not tried this recipe with a dairy alternative.

Once you add and mix together the wet and dry ingredients, you can slowly stir the chocolate chips to the batter. While my standard is around 1 cup of the Vermont Nut Free chocolate chips, you can truly make them as chocolatey or non-chocolately as you would like. 

Once the batter is nicely combined and a thick texture, you can evenly pour the batter into your muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes. 

You truly do not want to miss out on the deliciousness of this recipe. An absolutely perfect recipe for a sweet morning treat, an afternoon snack, or a nightly dessert.