Chocolate Candy-Cane Muffins

Choco lover's Note:

This chocolate mint muffin recipe is my FAVORITE!! I found this in a blog, called "Earth Muffin Bakes" which i'm now in love with. The author of the blog actually won a contest with her cocholate candy-cane muffins. You can visit her blog here http://earthmuffinbakes.blogspot.com or visit the website of the contest she won here http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/src/12_realepic/favourite-chocolate-recipe-A12days/

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 muffins

• ¾ cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1⁄3; cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (this is optional, but i love coffee so 2 tablespoons is the right amount for me)
• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour (i've only done this with regular wheat flour and it was delicious too)
• 1 cup mint chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Melt the butter.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with a fork or whisk.
4. Once the melted butter has cooled down to room temperature, mix in the egg and milk.
5. Add the wet to the dry mixing just until everything is damp. Muffins are meant to be lumpy! That is the muffin method.
6. Spray the muffin pan with Pam, or grease with Crisco.
7. Bake for around 20 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. (For my oven, 18 minutes is the perfect time).