Bud & the OBayley Boys: Moomy Baked Some Warm-Me-Up Muffins

These last couple of days have been freezing cold!

Its the kind of cold where I was basically dancing my way across the icy laminated flooring just to get to the stove to put the yellow kettle on.

But I love it! I enjoy watching weather forecasts on the local news. For instance, on Wednesday evening, there were constant updates on what was to come - from blizzard to freezing rain to that "very cold arctic air" …

All that snow and ice don't make for good driving condition but just remember what Axl Rose sang "Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain …"

And naturally, when thick layers of blankies and duvets could not quite warm the body, I thought some freshly-baked muffins might just do the trick! *winks*

Now who doesn't lurveeee muffins?

They're single-sized serving (I have never heard of anyone sharing a muffin before LOL), quick to grab off the counter on those busy mornings and easy to eat (no fuss like the other breakfast offerings of scones and pancakes)! It also comes in a variety of flavors, whatever tickles your fancy.

I remember a conversation with my BFF in SG earlier this week. It was a very wet, dark and gloomy afternoon there and she had the whole afternoon to herself, not knowing what to do. Ayu commented that the weather made her want to turn on the oven. She said "it's really tempting to have freshly baked goods with tea. Put my legs up and read."

Now back during our bachelorette days, Ayu and I had spent a lot of time together - watching chick flicks, having dinners, even bra-shopping together! O the fun we had. Together, we were easily the loudest pair laughing in the cinema.

Anyway, I suggested that she play catch up on her fave series but she wanted to try something with raspberries (she had just bought some fresh ones).

So I egged her on to bake some muffins. I went "Muffin! Muffin! Muffin!" and Ayu commented that she had actually imagined that in Theodore the Chipmunk's voice.

So I didn't stop there.

I went "Bake! Bake! Bake!" and "Now! Now! Now!"

LMAO!

Anyhoo, I told her that her plan for the afternoon was simple really: bake some muffins and settle down on the couch and watch girly movies like A Walk To Remember, The Notebook, Because I Said So.

And perhaps to go with the baking theme (because she was baking muffins), add It's Complicated to the lot.

Well, baked she did. And she watched a movie :D Because I Said So.

The movie. Not because-I-said-so. LOL!

It felt good to be able to "do" something together despite the distance. I miss my circle of buddies back home and the darling friends I made along the way ...

Anyhoo, back to them muffins. I had introduced Ayu to this blogger, Sally of Sally's Baking Addiction. Ayu then tried out her chocolate chip muffins and commented that it was really delicious. I checked out the recipe and it was not crazily overly-chocolatey, just the way I like my muffins.

So here's how I made my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins, adapted from this recipe at sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/17/bakery-style-chocolate-chip-muffins/

Add these into a large mixing bowl: 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, quarter of a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Toss the ingredients gently together to combine and set the bowl aside.

Once you've tossed the dry ingredients together, be prepared for a wonderful smell to tickle your nose … cinnamon & nutmeg. Yum!! :D:D:D

Into another bowl, whisk 2 eggs (at room temperature) and 1 cup of granulated sugar until combined. Then to that, add these: 1 cup of buttermilk, half a cup of melted coconut oil and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Give the mixture a quick whisk to incorporate everything together.

I hate that the cold solidifies the coconut oil and I have to gently warm it up before use … o well.

Then you add the eggy, milky mixture to the cinnamon-y flour mixture. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients until you have scraped all the flour off the bottom of the bowl. Do not over-mix the batter, OK?

Remember not to over-mix the muffin batter - thick and lumpy is what we're going for :D

Then fold in three quarters of a cup of chocolate chips into your muffin batter. You can add up to twice that amount. I just don't want too much chocolate in mine.

Scoop them out into your muffin cases, all the way to the top. If you like, you can sprinkle some coarse sugar on top of the muffins for some added crunch.

Pop them into a preheated oven at 425degF for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375degF for 25 minutes.

I sprinkled sugar on half of the muffin tops.

(I should really look for coarse sugar since I like crunch on my muffins)

Ta-daaaa!! :D:D:D

Chocolates are wonderful but somehow, I have never fancied those chocolatey-chocolatey muffins (you know, chocolate batter with more chocolate chips). Its way too OTT for me. I like my muffins fruity (blueberries, orange + cranberry, etc).

But having read through this recipe, and noting that it only used chocolate chips for its chocolatey component, I knew I had to try it for myself.