Cornwall is my home and I hate to leave it. However, the pull of friendship can be strong, so this weekend, we headed upcountry to some chocolate loving friends in Glastonbury. With time in fairly short supply, I decided to make some chilli muffins from Unwrapped, the Green & Black’s Original chocolate cookbook. These Mexican Mole Muffins appealed, not only because they were quick to make, but also because they had a lot of chocolate in them – ideal for the aforementioned chocoholics. With the cold winds and hail storms we’d been experiencing, the chilli seemed like a nice warming idea too.
Luckily I had recently been sent a load of chocolate goodies from Dr Oetker, so I had plenty of chocolate to choose from. As the above recipe called for a high cocoa content milk chocolate, the 33% Cook’s chocolate was ideal.
This is how I did it:
- Chopped 100g 33% milk chocolate into shreds with a sturdy knife.
- Chopped half a de-seeded rocoto chilli finely.
- Sifted 200g flour (half wholemeal, half white) into a bowl along with 1 tsp baking powder, 25g cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt.
- Added 110g vanilla (caster) sugar.
- Stirred in the chocolate and chilli.
- In a large jug, beat 2 medium eggs with 100ml sunflower oil.
- Whisked in 225g milk and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.
- Made a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and poured in the wet.
- Mixed together gently until just incorporated.
- Divided the mixture between the muffin cases, making a complete mess as I did so – the mixture was very runny.
- Baked at 180C for 20 minutes.
They didn’t rise as much as I expected, but they were nonetheless delicious. The rocoto generated a gentle heat, which allowed the flavour of the chilli to come through. But after the muffin had gone, that same chilli buzzed around the mouth and was much more noticeable. Although liberally studded with chocolate, which gave a satisfying sweet crunchy burst, the chips had sunk to the bottom half, which was a bit disappointing but inevitable given the wetness of the batter. Anyway, between us we managed to devour most of them in fairly short shrift and used them to power us to the top of Glastonbury Tor.
Many thanks to Dr Oetker for this great chocolate themed toolbox. I’m looking forward to making lots of fun things with the remaining items, although I have already made some scrumptious cookies with the white choc chips – recipe to be posted later.
This is what I received:
- 150g bar of cook’s 33% milk chocolate
- 150g bar of cook’s 54% dark chocolate
- 150g bar of cook’s 72% dark chocolate
- 100g bag of white chocolate chunks
- Pack of chocolate ready to roll icing
- Giant milk chocolate stars
- Chocolate flavour writing icing
- Milk and white chocolate flakes
- Chocolate flavour strands
- Vanilla extract with seeds
- Cake release spray
Giveaway
If you would like a chance at getting your hands on this chocolate baking and decorating extravaganza just in time for Christmas, then please fill in the Rafflecopter below. You will need to leave a comment on this post which then gives you additional chances to enter if you so wish. Rafflecopter will pick a winner at random from the entries received. If you are commenting anonymously, please give me some way of identifying you as I will be verifying the validity of entries. Any automated entries will be disqualified. This giveaway is only open to those with a UK postal address.
Milk chocolate
Dark chocolate (KEL ELLEN HIRST on fb)
We like to vary what we use at the moment we re using a lot of white chocolate and milk chocolate honeycomb x
I like to good with milk chocolate because I’m not a fan of dark!
I like to keep it classic with milk chocolate 🙂
White chocolate
White chocolate
milk chocolate 100%
Dark chocolate, one high in cocoa solids
Dark chocolate
I love baking with white chocolate, lovely gooey cookies!
for me it has to be dark chocolate. it tastes better for cooking than milk or white chocolate
MILK
all depends on what i’m baking, white chocolate for cake pops
Dark truffles/ganache and milk for everything else!
My personal fave is milk though
Definately dark chocolate for me
dark chocolate for me, love it
I like using different types of chocolate for different things!
I prefer dark chocolate, but no one else in my family likes it so tend to use milk chocolate!
Terry’s Chocolate Orange mos times
I prefer to use dark chocolate
70% dark chocolate
Dark chocolate as very versatile and not as intense when used in cooking
I usually use milk chocolate 🙂
Naomi xxx
Dark
Dark 70% +
I use milk chocolate and sometimes white chocolate
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate
70% Dark Chocolate
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate normally
The stronger taste of dark chocolate
normally milk chocolate as not keen on dark
dark chocolate
milk chocolate
Milk chocolate
Love the taste of milk choc yum… Know dark chocs better for you. do use it in baking, always seems to work & taste good
I like white chocolate as I love using it to decorate cakes and biscuits etc.
Milk Chocolate
dark chocolate – a rich taste when used in bain (katie skeoch)
I cook with green and blacks, because it has a higher cocoa content.
I use plain cheapo chocolate! Works really well for me! 🙂
Depends what I am cooking, but as a general rule I prefer dark chocolate
White chocolate (@Janbagnall)
dark
Milk chocolate. X
Milk chocolate, nobody except me is keen on the rich flavour of dark x
Milk
70% cocoa solids
I prefer to use milk chocolate 🙂
The darkest chocolate I can find!
I prefer to bake with milk chocolate but use white chocolate sprinkles as decoration 🙂
Really good dark chocolate – just a little goes quite far.
I prefer to cook with white chocolate
Depends what I’m baking but I tend to use mill chocolate
I use milk chocolate.
has to be Dark Chocolate for me
dark choc
dark chocolate
milk chocolate for me, my children prefer it
Milk chocolate here, no-one else would eat it if I used Dark. (That isn’t necessarily a bad thing!)
milk chocolate
I prefer dark but the family like milk
deark chocolate
Barry Callebaut Milk. It has a lovely caramel aftertaste 🙂
Plain (cooking chocolate)
milk
I always prefer dark chocolate
dark chocolate but my partner hates it!
Dark chocolate, just love the ‘bitterness’
Dark
Usually milk chocolate but i often use a bit of dark too
dark chocolate
plain chocolate
Milk Chocolate – so I can eat most of it while I am prepping 🙂
Becci Cleary/@beccicleary87/[email protected]
Plain chocolate
I use plain 🙂
milk chocolate is the BEST- so nice and creamy and not too sickly or bitter
Callebaut Origine, Madagascar dark chocolate chips
I prefer milk chocolate.
70% cocoa solids chocolate
Depends on what I’m making but I like milk chocolate!
Good quality dark chocolate, green and blacks gives a wonderful taste and theres all the other flavours if you need something a little tasty
Milk chocolate
milk chcolate
I only really cook with dark chocolate because its what I like the best
Normal Milk
Dark chocolate
Dark Cgocolate
Dark chocolate!
70% cocoa
I know all the food experts say to use good quality plain chocolate but I hate the taste of it so i always use milk chocolate instead and I’ve never been disappointed with the results (mainly because when something has chocolate in it I have low standards of excellence!) x
Cadbury Milk Chocolate
Cadbury
Depends what I am making – chilli is lovely with a square of dark chocolate added, but I prefer milk chocolate on the top of cakes
Dark for in cakes and milk on top
Milk Chocolate
I always use milk chocolate chips, they’re very child friendly. I always buy extra so we can taste them to make sure they’re ok.
Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate.
Depends on what I am cooking. For sweets it has to be high cocoa content dark chocolate, slightly bitter. For everyday stuff then milk and for muffins then i prefer white. Always chocolate bars not cooking – never tastes as good!
Dark chocolate
I prefer milk chocolate except for a few recipes for which i use dark
Milk chocolate
Dark chocolate
Any chocolate, whatever happens to be the cheapest. Not usually cooking chocolate as for some reason its far more expensive than buying general chocolate bars.
I prefer to cook with dark chocolate.
@rachiegr
Definitely dark chocolate, delicious!
Dark Chocolate
Plain dark chocolate
I use dark chocolate
Quality milk chocolate
Dark chocolate
Milk chocolate is best in cookies, when I’m baking cakes I prefer dark x
White Chocolate
Milk Chocolate, yummy 🙂
Plain Chocolate
MILK
GREIG SPENCER
[email protected]
Milk chocolate
White Chocolate
dark chocolate
I prefer white chocolate 🙂
I prefer to cook with dark chocolate
I prefer to cook with Dark Chocolate
always dark chocolate
I prefer to cook with white, but my daughter likes milk better.
Dark chocolate is better to cook with. My children aren’t too keen on dark chocolate, but adding a splash of double cream helps
dark chocolate
dark chocolate, yum
Dark chocolate. As I like to eat all the others before I get to cooking. x
Dark high cocoa solids – better taste xoxo
Dark Chocolate 🙂
Dark chocolate
@jen1984j
jen louise jackson
Quality dark chocolate
Plain choccie
Plain chocolate
Milk Chocolate x
milk chocolate
milk chocolate
I usually cook with milk chocolate
Plain chocolate’s much easier to work with, but I don’t like chocolate with a very high percentage of cocoa solids.
Dark chocolate
milk
I prefer to cook with dark chocolate; I like the bitter sweetness of dark chocolate 🙂
I like to cook with dark chocolate but will use ANY chocolate given half a chance, fab giveaway 🙂
Milk Chocolate for me
Chocolate buttons are always easier to melt rather than breaking up bars of chocolate
mint flavoured carob
For cookies I use normal milk chocolate bars
I always use Milk Chocolate because I prefer the taste
Good quality dark chocolate
I like making cheesecakes, i find Galaxy works the best. Not a fan of cooking chocolate at all.
Simon.
I tend to use plain chocolate
pure cocoa powder if I can get it, then I’m totally in control of the intensity of the choconess. If not a standard bar of plain dark but never cooking chocolate it reminds me of candy.
Dark chocolate
It depends on what I am baking. If it is cakes or cookies I always use dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa). However if I am making chocolate decorations I always use milk chocolate (35% cocoa) as otherwise the kids won’t eat them.
Depends what I’m cooking – I’ve cookies in the oven with milk and white chocolate chips but a chocolate cake, for example needs dark chocolate with a high cocoa content
Good quality dark chocolate every time. x
Milk chocolate, my 4 munchkins aren’t too keen on dark chocolate x
Very dark chocolate, although not for everyday eating, just for baking.
Dark chocolate as I find I can have a smaller portion & get a better satification.
i cant find the share to facebook button???
Just ckick on the green Share This button at the bottom of the post
white chocolate. I make a chocolate muffin with the melted chocolate in the middle and then top it with raspberries!
Dark chocolate!
I prefer to cook with dark chocolate.
I use milk, children prefer it
It depends what I’m making! Plain gives a more intense flavour, but I do like to use milk if I’m making something for little ones.
I like to us milk chocolate
Looks like you got a better selection of goodies than I did a couple of years ago…. mine included chocolate flavoured cake covering….. !?! Yuk! Out of choice I always use 70% choc, aside from when I think my colleagues will find it too bitter.
I like to use Milk Chocolate, but prefer it to be Belgian.
I like to use dark chocolate and have found that the Rylands brand (in Tesco) has a really good flavour and is cheaper than the quality baking brands.
Love dark chocolate best more flavour
I prefer to use milk or white chocolate xx
Dark Chocolate so it gives that luxurious rich flavour
I just use drinking chocolate usually.
i prefer to use milk or dark
I dont use white chocolate very often I find the dark chocolate and the milk chocolate more to my taste.
Dark chocolate for baking but milk for chocolate decoration
Depends on what it is for and who it is for!
I use mostly milk chocolate!
Milk chocolate
I always use a good quality dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa solids, but when baking for the kids i use a good quality milk chocolate
Milk chocolate
Either dark (for the strong taste) or white (for the creaminess).
I like to use Milky Bar White Chocolate. Delicious.
I like chocolate with bits in that i can use in brownies. Or, I like really dark chocolate to offset the sweetness
dark chocolate
White chocolate
it depends on what i am baking, but il use any chocolate, its fun to experiment with different flavoured chocolates to like daim bar by milka or toblerone
[email protected]
I like to use milk chocolate [email protected]
Dark Chocolate I usually use
Dark Chocolate & half wholemeal, these muffins could almost be described as healthy! Look forward to trying the recipe
Jenny b
dark, 70% cocoa
Any standard milk chocolate.
Dark Chocolate usually
All chocolate is good with me!!!
@shoegirl1965
I’m not keen on dark chocolate so tend to stick with milk or white chocolate (my favourite LOL )
White chocci
Milk chocolate but depends on what i’m making a sometimes i also use dark chocolate too.
Normally Dark chocolate
I prefer cooking with milk chocolate
I prefer dark chocolate
white – yum yum
Milk chocolate
Has to be dark chocolate
I prefer to cook with dark chocolate, yummy
@froggybiby on twitter
i like dark chocolate
It depends what I’m making. I use white with raspberries and lighter puds, milk for children and dark for me!
milk or white if it’s for children, dark with chilli if it’s adults only
Dr Oetker easy melt.
Plain Chocolate is definately my favourite to bake with!! rich and yummy!!! nom nom nom!!!
@SaladScoffer
Milk Chocolate.
I love all sorts of chocolate so always like a mix
milk chocolate
It depends on what I’m baking. Dark and milk chocolate are both good for cookies, milk chocolate seems to work best with muffins.
I use ordinary milk chocolate, cooking chocolate is too expensive.
I nearly always cook with dark chocolate x Thank you very much! @starcatch3r
i like dark but my children prefer white or milk
i prefer milk chocolate to cook with
Generally dark chocolate
I always cook with dark/ plain chocolate.
dark choc for sure
Dark choc is always scrummy as the flavour is more intense 🙂
Dark chocolate always turns out best for me
Tiffany Oconnell
@toc83
I prefer good quality dark chocolate, but as I’m permanently skint I tend to use whatever I lay my grubby little paws on
definitely Dark Chocolate for cooking with
White chocolate
Only milk cooking chocolate for me!
Dark chocolate – at least 75%. Mmmm.
I always use dark chocolate as it givesa richer taste to my baking
i like to use good quality dark chocolate
I love cooking with dark chocolate- YUM! 🙂
got to be the proper chocolate nothing less than 85%
Dark chocolate is my favorite to cook with, the more chocolaty the better! ♥
I cook with dark chocolate as it is our favourite. I have been known to cover a cake with 85% dark chocolate!
Hazel Rea – @beachrambler
the muffins look so perfect – I am always unsure about trying to get the right balance of chilli but I love the idea of mole muffins
70% cocoa solids is usually sufficient for a proper chocolate hit
I prefer milk chocolate as my family are not keen on dark x
Dark chocolate for a richer flavour
I prefer cooking with dark chocolate, always gives a nicer flavour when cooked
These are my kind of muffins, with a kick of chilli just perfect to eat after a nice walk in some beautiful countryside. I have this book so will be looking them up to make and have plenty of home grown chillies to hand too!
70% Dark Chocolate by choice but normally cheap and cheerful dark chocolate for cakes!
I like to bake with dark however if I only have white or milk in the house and I am in the baking mood then any will be used
Angela
I usually only cook with milk chocolate
Depends what I’m making. I use dark chocolate for chocolate frosting but milk chocolate if making decorations for the top of cupcakes
We have some catering dark choc on the go at the moment, it’s very silky, amazing melted down!
Milk chocolate, because my guys prefer it, personally I love the dark one.
Your choc muffins look lush!
I definitely bake with dark chocolate the most, but the quality I use does vary – if it’s for something where chocolate is really the star ingredient, like a brownie or ganache, then it has to be the good stuff, but if it’s chocolate chips in a muffin or to be melted into sugary icing, I tend to go cheap…
Interested to see how you find the cake release spray, I’ve been umming and ahhing over whether or not it’s worth investing in!
normally plain chocolate
I’m a bit of a tart when it comes to baking with chocolate, which ever crosses my path first is the one I will go with. I think I would prefer to mostly use white, however, if a recipe calls for dark I generally even out the bitterness with some milk chocolate too … if it calls for milk chocolate I add a bit dark chocolate for that lovely intense colour. See what I mean?? A total tart ;0)
Lovely of you to make these muffins to bring to your friends too, such a nice gesture and they look amazing.
I prefer milk chocolate to cook with
I always prefer to use plain/dark chocolate as it’s more rich. If I’m coating with chocolate, it’s always a dilemma whether to use dark or milk chocolate.
The mexican mole muffins sound so different. Up until now, I haven’t been a chilli fan. I like it when it’s warming but not hot. I love that they’ve also got vanilla caster sugar in them too.
the chilli and chocolate combo is always a wonderful success and that undertone of heat is so un-expected… I love the look of their cracked tops… when you going to come up to Lincs, we’d love to have you x
I prefer to use dark chocolate (with a high cocoa solids factor)
I use dark chocolate x
I buy plain chocolate, and try to buy good quality but sometimes I do go with the cheap stuff!
I always prefer to use dark chocolate for the richer, more intense flavour that comes with it.