Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

With only a couple of weeks left before the children head back to school, I begin to get my thoughts about meals and snacks a bit more organized. I try to have some grab and go things on hand for those days I am just not as prepared as I thought I was or would like to be.

One of my go to recipes last school year was for bakery style chocolate chip muffins. This turned out to be a tried and true recipe after an small adjustment to baking time for my finicky oven. Today my five year old not only inspired another change, he also helped me make these~ Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins.

Taste testing~ "Does it taste good yet?  Yes, it does!"

He kept me entertained the entire time we were making these. He started by telling me we needed to "beat up the eggs". As we were mixing the ingredients, he would continually ask if the mix tasted good yet. "Oh, I can't wait till it tastes good and I can take a lick!" When they were all done, he told me to wait until they were cooled off before I took the little guys out.

When little helpers top off the muffins with mini chocolate chips, proportionality doesn't count.

You'll notice that some of our muffins are disproportional; some have more chocolate chips than others. My son said we messed up and had to start over. I think he just wanted an excuse to eat the whole batch.

These will probably be a weekly item in our house now, terrific for breakfasts with a boiled egg or yogurt and excellent as a snack with a piece of cheese {probably Baby Belle for my little munchers}. And they make a great first day of school treat for a new teacher!

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
original recipe from The Purple Spoon
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c chocolate chips
2 tbsp raw sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside. Combine sour cream, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract. Blend til smooth. Fold sour cream mixture into flour mixture, just to combine. Place a half spoonful of batter into each paper liner. Top with a few mini chocolate chips. Add another half spoonful of batter over the mini chocolate chips. Top off with another round of mini chocolate chips and a sprinkle of raw sugar {for a sweet crunch}.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, until golden on top. Cool before removing from pan. Makes 24 mini muffins.

Notes about recipe~
*I tend to overfill my muffin liners a bit so they are nice and rounded on top. This recipe may actually make closer to 28-30 mini cupcakes if you don't fill yours as full.
*You could mix the mini chocolate chips into the batter. Just toss the chips with a bit of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom. I like the layered technique though.
*The original recipe calls for cinnamon and sugar on top. I think the sugar in the raw adds a nice crunch {I do this with many of my muffins}. Sugar in the raw could be replaced with sugar crystals if needed.
*If you don't have sour cream, use buttermilk or soured milk {milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice added}.

Here's my littlest helper, Dianna.  She's almost five months old now and doing well.  As you can see, she's a happy little helper.