Olympic Village Inspired Chocolate Muffins

The 3x olympic swimmer from Norway Henrik Christiansen posted about the double chocolate muffins from the olympic village close to a dozen times, and the world is eating it up, quite literally. Well many would say that if there were olympic medals for muffin baking I would take the gold so I had to get in the kitchen and work my magic .  I give you an incredibly moist and decadent dark chocolate muffin dotted with melty semi sweet chocolate chunks and filled with a dangerously rich ganache filling  just like the ones in at the olympics and the best part is you can enjoy them right in the comfort of your own home. Henrik I expect you to contact me the next time you’re in NY, the muffins await you!

Makes about 9 jumbo muffins (be sure to get a jumbo pan for the best results)

 Ingredients-

1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) of Unsalted Butter, softened 

½ cup Canola or Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Pure vanilla extract

3 Large Eggs

1 Packet (3.9 oz box) instant chocolate pudding mix (Jello brand preferred)

1 ½ Cups Cake Flour (NOT Self-Rising)

½ Cup Dark Cocoa Powder (Such as Dutch Processed)

1 Teaspoon Baking soda

1 ½ Teaspoon Baking powder

3/4 tsp Fine table salt

1 cup Sour Cream

1/3 Cup Buttermilk 

1 ½ Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (I like enjoy life brand)

 

Ganache-

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cups Bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is my favorite)

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

Steps- 

  1. Preheat your oven to 400F.

  2. Line Jumbo, 6 oz muffin cups with paper muffin liners. 

  3. In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and Canola oil until light and creamy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

  4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat just until combined.

  5. Beat in the dry chocolate Pudding Mix until blended. 

  6. In a separate bowl whisk together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt and Cocoa Powder to ensure there are no lumps. 

  7. On low speed, add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two installments, alternating with the sour cream. Beat just until combined and no flour streaks are visible. Next, beat in the buttermilk just until combined. Fold in the 1 ½ cups of chocolate chunks. Cover the batter and let it chill for at least 1 hour, or even overnight. The chilling/resting process helps the muffins rise better and the flavor to develop further.

  8. Scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups. You want them pretty full and a nice dome shape. I like to add a few more chocolate chunks on the top before baking.

  9. Place the muffins in the oven on 400F for 5 minutes, then leave the muffins in the oven and lower the temperature to 325F for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 

  10. Enjoy as is or add the ganache. See below.

 

Fudge Ganache Core-

  1. In a small saucepan add the bittersweet chocolate and condensed milk. Head over medium heat stirring constantly until the chips are melted. Whisk in the vanilla extract and then pour the ganache into a pastry bag. 

  2. Using a paring knife remove about a 1 inch round section of the center of each muffin. Pipe some of the ganache into the hole and enjoy!!

To Store and Reheat- You can store these in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Before eating place the muffin on a plate, place it in the microwave and heat it up for 10-15 seconds or until the chocolate is a bit melty and ENJOY! They’ll be good as new!