Remember bake sales? As a teen, we did bake sales as fundraisers for all sorts of reasons. Bake sales seem to have all but disappeared in today's world. Kind of sad -- what a great way to support a cause and bring home some lovely baked goods to enjoy. Since I love to bake I thought I'd start a summer series for Fridays -- a way to encourage myself to bake for my family more AND find some fun recipes to share with my readers -- look for a new recipe each friday and I am putting together a giveaway to encourage the inner baker in us all!
Dark Chocolate & Ginger Muffins
(Printable Version)
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not extra-bitter), coarsely chopped
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground ginger
3 pieces preserved ginger in syrup, drained and finely chopped plus 2 Tbsp syrup from jar
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Heat butter and half of chocolate in milk in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until just melted. Remove from heat. Cool 15 minutes. Add eggs and whisk until smooth.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground ginger in a medium bowl until combined well. Add chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in remaining chocolate and preserved ginger with reserved syrup.
Divide among 12 greased (1/2-cup) muffin cups. Bake until a tester comes out clean, 14 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 to 10 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.
