About the Recipe
I think all the Nutella lovers out there can agree that there just is no better pairing than hazelnut and chocolate. That is why I enjoy this recipe so much. It has the roasted sweet nuttiness of the hazelnuts with surprise bites of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
When I was younger my mother would make this recipe in a loaf format. Best afterschool snack ever. But the loaf would not last long, as everyone who passed by it would just cut off another slice. Same thing goes for these muffins. They are just easier to grab and don't require any cutting.
I love the dense texture that the hazelnut flour and cream give to this recipe. Not to mention the wonderfully crunchy muffin top.
If you do not have hazelnut flour or hazelnuts to make your own, you can substitute it with almond flour instead. Of course the flavor will change slightly but the flavor combination and texture still work beautifully together.
This recipe is super simple to throw together and makes for a great easy on-the-go snack or when you need a little sweet treat to go with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
Hope you give them a try and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
1 Egg
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Whipping Cream
1 cup Hazelnut Flour
1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 350F.
While the oven is heating up, start preparing your batter. You'll need two large bowls. One for your dry ingredients and one for your wet. You will also need to prepare a lined muffin tin to scoop your mixture into once it has been prepared.
If you do not have access to prepared hazelnut flour. You can make your own by pulverizing whole hazelnuts in a food processor. If you are making your own, just make sure that the flour mixture is nice and smooth and does not have any large nut lumps left over.
Let's start by getting the ingredients prepared. In one of the large bowls, use a hand mixer to mix together the egg, sugar and whipping cream. Beat until blended. You are not trying to whip the whipping cream, rather you just want your ingredients to be well blended.
In the other large bowl, stir together your dry ingredients (hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and baking powder). Making sure that there are no large clumps.
Slowly, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix well. If the mixture seems too thick, you can add a little bit more cream or milk. You'll be left with a wonderfully creamy textured batter.
Once all the ingredients have been well mixed together add in the chocolate chips. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to blend. You can always add in more chocolate chips or less depending on your taste. I sometimes keep a few chocolate chips to the side to be able to sprinkle them on top of each muffin before baking.
Once all the ingredients are well blended use a large spoon or ice-cream scoop to scoop your batter and fill your prepared muffin cups.
These muffins don't really puff up so feel free to fill the cups right to the top. Sprinkle the tops with any left over chocolate chips.
Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes until golden brown (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Let cool and enjoy!